The U.S. Department of Education is dismissing nearly half of the agency’s workers as President Donald Trump continues to push for the elimination of the department.
More than 4,100 people were employed by the agency at the beginning of Trump’s term, the agency said, which will be reduced to about 2,180 workers.
The major cut comes after months of Trump saying he would prioritize “closing up the Department of Education” and “sending all education and education work and needs back to the states,” as he said in September 2023.
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham asked Secretary of the Department of Education Linda McMahon Tuesday if the workforce slashing was “the first step on the road to a total shutdown.”
“Yes, actually it is because that was the President’s mandate directly to me,” McMahon responded.
Trump does not have the authority to eliminate the federal agency. That would require an act of Congress. The agency was established in 1979 by Congress and aimed at supporting state and local education programs and ensuring equal educational opportunities for all students.
The department said that 572 employees had accepted the deferred resignation program — which the Trump administration proposed to nearly all federal workers — or a voluntary separation incentive payment, both of which were aimed at reducing the federal workforce.
The nearly 1,400 other employees who will lose their jobs on March 21 will receive pay and benefits through June 9, as required by a collective bargaining agreement, along with severance and retirement pay, the agency said.
The Department of Education also informed employees Tuesday that all of the agency’s buildings would be closed starting at 6 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday for “for security reasons.”
The education department is charged with overseeing distribution of federal funding for schools serving low-income students, administering the federal student aid for post-secondary education and managing programs for students with disabilities.
The agency said that the workforce reduction would impact all divisions but would continue to “deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview.”
The department is headed by McMahon, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate last week. McMahon is married to Vince McMahon, a founder of World Wrestling Entertainment, and served as the administrator of the Small Business Administration during Trump’s first term.
In a statement following her confirmation, McMahon said she was embarking on the department’s “final mission” — to cut the agency’s workforce and go after funding of schools with diversity, equity and inclusion programs or “gender ideology” programs.
McMahon is overseeing the investigation of 60 colleges and universities over claims of antisemitism due to their handling of pro-Palestinian protests during the previous school year.
“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,” McMahon said in a statement. “This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
Democratic National Committee chair Ken Martin said in response to Tuesday’s news that the cuts showed that the Trump administration “doesn’t give a damn about” the country’s 50 million public school students.
“Defunding public education doesn’t put America first — it all but guarantees that we will be last for generations to come,” Martin said in a statement. “Trump and the billionaire megadonor he installed as Education Secretary are pickpocketing our public schools, which will lead to ballooning class sizes, fewer teachers and aides, and a lower quality of education for our kids.”
The San Francisco Chronicle is a BNV partner. The original version of this story appeared here.
