Education Secretary Linda McMahon announces plans to shrink Department of Education and work with Congress towards its elimination.
The United States Department of Education will significantly reduce its workforce, a measure taken by President Donald Trump to fulfill a campaign promise aimed at dismantling the agency.
The department plans to cut its staff to 2,183 by placing employees on administrative leave starting on March 21. Despite this,
the department will continue to offer all mandated programs, which include student loans and funding for special needs students.
This downsizing mirrors other efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to streamline federal bureaucracy through layoffs. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated,
“The Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and redirecting resources towards students, parents, and teachers is reflected in today’s workforce reduction.”
In conversation with Fox News, McMahon, who served as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, confirmed that the layoffs marked a step towards closing the department as instructed by Trump.
“His directive to me was to shut down the Department of Education,” McMahon said, emphasizing that Congress’s cooperation is necessary to do so.
She defended the layoffs as targeting bureaucratic excess and pledged to maintain programs like grants for students.
Trump had campaign on the Department of Education’s alleged infiltration by “radicals, zealots and Marxists” and the need to transfer educational responsibilities to states and local school districts.
Education in the US primarily falls under state and local jurisdictions, with the federal government contributing only about 8% of the funding for elementary and secondary education.
Established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, the department provides financial aid, oversees student loans, and upholds civil rights in education.
Republicans have long argued for education policy to be handled at the state and local levels, a stance supported by former Presidents including Ronald Reagan.
The National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the US, decried the Trump administration’s plan as a threat to the education of 50 million students.
“Disassembling the Department of Education is a disaster for our most vulnerable students,” warned National Education Association President Becky Pringle, foreseeing larger class sizes, instances of job training cuts, greater expenses for higher education, and diminished special education services.
The department plans to cut its staff to 2,183 by placing employees on administrative leave starting on March 21. Despite this,
the department will continue to offer all mandated programs, which include student loans and funding for special needs students.
This downsizing mirrors other efforts by the Department of Government Efficiency to streamline federal bureaucracy through layoffs. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated,
“The Department of Education’s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and redirecting resources towards students, parents, and teachers is reflected in today’s workforce reduction.”
In conversation with Fox News, McMahon, who served as the CEO of World Wrestling Entertainment, confirmed that the layoffs marked a step towards closing the department as instructed by Trump.
“His directive to me was to shut down the Department of Education,” McMahon said, emphasizing that Congress’s cooperation is necessary to do so.
She defended the layoffs as targeting bureaucratic excess and pledged to maintain programs like grants for students.
Trump had campaign on the Department of Education’s alleged infiltration by “radicals, zealots and Marxists” and the need to transfer educational responsibilities to states and local school districts.
Education in the US primarily falls under state and local jurisdictions, with the federal government contributing only about 8% of the funding for elementary and secondary education.
Established in 1979 by President Jimmy Carter, the department provides financial aid, oversees student loans, and upholds civil rights in education.
Republicans have long argued for education policy to be handled at the state and local levels, a stance supported by former Presidents including Ronald Reagan.
The National Education Association, the largest teachers union in the US, decried the Trump administration’s plan as a threat to the education of 50 million students.
“Disassembling the Department of Education is a disaster for our most vulnerable students,” warned National Education Association President Becky Pringle, foreseeing larger class sizes, instances of job training cuts, greater expenses for higher education, and diminished special education services.
