US Education Department Set To Lay Off 50% Of Staff Amid Donald Trump’s Cost-Saving Policies
This move comes as government agencies scramble to meet President Donald Trump’s deadline to submit plans for a second round of layoffs.
As part of ongoing layoffs across the United States in a government effort to “cut costs,” the U.S. Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it would lay off nearly half of its staff.
This move comes as government agencies scramble to meet President Donald Trump’s deadline to submit plans for a second round of layoffs.
The department oversees $1.6 trillion in college loans, enforces civil rights laws in schools, and provides federal funding for underprivileged districts.
The layoffs are part of what has been described as the department’s “final mission.”
When asked on Fox News whether these job cuts would lead to the department’s dismantling, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon confirmed, “Yes,” adding that doing so “was the president’s mandate.” The layoffs will reduce the department’s workforce to 2,183 employees, down from 4,133 when Trump took office in January.
Before announcing the layoffs, the agency ordered its Washington-area offices closed to staff from Tuesday evening through Wednesday, according to an internal notice seen by Reuters.
Additionally, affected Education Department employees will be placed on administrative leave starting March 21.
The union representing more than 2,800 department employees has vowed to fight what it calls “draconian cuts.”
“What is clear from the past weeks of mass firings, chaos, and unchecked unprofessionalism is that this administration has no respect for the thousands of workers who have dedicated their careers to serving their fellow Americans,” said Sheria Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252.
Since taking office, President Trump has overseen multiple rounds of layoffs, citing the need to reduce government spending.
