JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) - U.S. Representative Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) addressed President Donald Trump's recent executive orders and the affects they could have on Mississippi.

Thompson said the president cannot run the greatest country in the world on executive orders.

“That's not what the founding fathers put together. He can only do what members of Congress pass as laws that become law, and then he can carry them out," he said.

A key topic Trump campaigned on involved shutting down the U.S. Department of Education. Many are concerned about the impact it could have on the state. Thompson said he's in support of investing in the education system to give kids bright futures.

“Either invest now or when it goes bad, you build more jails. I'd rather invest on the front end than the back end," the congressman said.

According to Thompson, about 23% of the money that goes toward education in Mississippi comes from federal funding.

“If you cut 23% of those resources out for any period of time, many of those school districts and those children will never recover," he said.

Thompson also said the federal funding freeze could impact Mississippi, because more than 600,000 Mississippians rely on Medicaid for their health care.

“If these funds are not available, they gonna still get sick. And if they are unable to go and get the care then God forbid, they might die," he said.

Thompson is calling for pushback on the executive orders. He wants Trump to hold hearings with lawmakers instead of deciding to cut a program out by an executive order.