IBL News | New York
The Department of Education initiated mass layoffs yesterday, reducing its workforce by nearly 50% to over 1,315 workers. Linda McMahon, the Education Secretary, said this is the first step to shutting down the whole department. [Video with the statement]
The fired staff will be placed on administrative leave starting March 21 and receive full pay and benefits until June 9.
Currently, the Department of Education manages federal loans for college, tracks student achievement, and enforces civil rights laws in schools.
In addition to these laid-off workers, 572 accepted separation packages offered recently, and 63 probationary workers were terminated last month.
The cuts were considered an additional move by President Trump, who announced it would dismantle the department soon, even though it could not be closed without Congress’s approval.
“Today’s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,” Linda McMahon, the Education Secretary, said in a statement.
She explained the changes would not affect student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, or competitive grantmaking.
Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for the second Trump term, laid out a detailed plan for eliminating the department and moving much of the agency’s work to other arms of the federal government. Student aid, for example, would be handled by the Treasury Department, vocational education by the Labor Department, and disability education by the Department of Health and Human Services.
Sheria Smith, President of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, representing more than 2,800 workers at the Education Department, said the Trump Administration had “no respect for the thousands of workers who have dedicated their careers to serving their fellow Americans” and vowed to fight the cuts.
Becky Pringle, President of the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teachers union, said the changes would drain job training programs and increase costs of higher education.
