The Department of Education is cutting its workforce of more than 4,100 people by nearly 50%, the agency announced on Tuesday evening.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed to Fox News the action was the first step toward President Trump’s plans for a total shutdown of the agency.
Trump floated the idea of “disbanding” the agency on the 2024 election campaign trail.
“That was the president’s mandate,” McMahon said on Fox News’ “The Ingraham Angle.” “His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education which we know we’ll have to work with Congress to get that accomplished.”
“Reduction in Force” notices started to go out to impacted employees at 6pm ET Tuesday, according to a source familiar with the matter.
Those staff members will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21, the department said.
Every part of the department is expected to be impacted.
However, the agency said it will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under its purview — including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students and competitive grant-making.
Among the 2,183 workers being laid off is almost 600 staffers who agreed to resign or retire over the past seven weeks. These include:
259 employees accepted the Deferred Resignation Program.
313 employees accepted the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment.
McMahon said in a statement that Tuesday’s reduction reflects the department’s “commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.”
She later told Fox News host Laura Ingraham the Trump administration was “not taking away education, the president never said that.”
McMahon said Trump was “taking the bureaucracy out of education so that more money flows to the states.”
“Better education is closest to the kids, with parents, with local superintendents, with local school boards. I think we’ll see our scores go up with our students and we can educate them with parental input as well.”
