Trump 2nd term live updates: Trump defends tariffs, declines to comment on Ukraine aid

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said her final mission is to do a "historic overhaul" of the Department of Education that cuts red tape and restores the American education system.

"Our job is to respect the will of the American people and the President they elected, who has tasked us with accomplishing the elimination of bureaucratic bloat here at the Department of Education—a momentous final mission—quickly and responsibly," McMahon wrote in an internal Department of Education email obtained by ABC News.

Stressing her commitment to deliver President Donald Trump's vision, McMahon said her mission is to change the status quo and dismantle the federal agency she was confirmed to lead.

"The Department of Education's role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington," McMahon said.

--ABC News' Arthur Jones

President Donald Trump took to his social media platform Tuesday morning to say that federal funding will stop for any "College, School, or University that allows illegal protests."

"All Federal Funding will STOP for any College, School, or University that allows illegal protests," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "Agitators will be imprisoned/or permanently sent back to the country from which they came. American students will be permanently expelled or, depending on on the crime, arrested. NO MASKS! Thank you for your attention to this matter."

--ABC News' Hannah Demissie

Moscow on Tuesday voiced approval for President Donald Trump’s decision to "pause" military aid to Ukraine.

"I’ve yet to learn the details, but if it corresponds to reality, this is a decision that may indeed encourage the Kyiv regime to the peace process," Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters. "If the U.S. suspends these supplies, it will probably be the best contribution to peace."

-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti

Within minutes of the new U.S. tariffs taking effect, China unveiled on Tuesday its initial response by placing additional 10% to 15% tariffs on imported U.S. goods, like chicken, wheat, soybeans and beef.

Those duties will be on top of similar tariffs imposed back during the first Trump administration’s trade war in 2018. Some of those tariffs are already at 25%, though Beijing issued some waivers as a result of the 2020 "phase one" trade deal.

The new tariffs are set to come into effect for goods shipped out next Monday, March 10.

Even though U.S. farmers are likely to feel the pinch, the Chinese response is being characterized as muted and contained compared to the breadth of Trump's sweeping tariffs on all Chinese goods. In the years since the first Trump administration, China has moved to diversify its imports, reducing its dependence on U.S. agricultural goods.

China also on Tuesday added 10 U.S. companies on their version of the Entity List, ostensibly for their activities in Taiwan. The companies appear to be mostly defense and intelligence related so they're unlikely to have to much of a footprint inside Mainland China.

Tuesday’s actions, however, may not be the end of Beijing’s retaliation.

China's once-a-year weeklong parliamentary session, the National People's Congress, opens Wednesday and is expected to roll out the country's economic plan for the year, including ways to safeguard its economy.

-ABC News’ Karson Yiu