Education Department Plans to Downsize

Introduction to the Cuts

The Education Department has announced plans to lay off over 1,300 employees, aiming to reduce its staff by half. This move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to dismantle the agency and reduce the federal government’s footprint. Department officials confirmed the cuts, sparking concerns about the agency’s ability to maintain its usual operations.

Background on the Agency

The Education Department, already one of the smallest Cabinet-level agencies, has been under scrutiny since Trump took office. The department’s workforce, which included 3,100 people in Washington and an additional 1,100 at regional offices across the country, has faced increasing pressure to quit their jobs through buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees.

Reasons Behind the Cuts

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has stated that the goal is to reduce bureaucratic bloat and send more money to local education authorities. McMahon mentioned that many of the department’s programs are excellent, and the focus should be on ensuring that funds reach the states effectively. This stance aligns with Trump’s campaign promise to close the department, which he claimed had been overtaken by "radicals, zealots, and Marxists."

Impact on Operations

The department has assured that it will continue to deliver on its key functions, such as distributing federal aid to schools, managing student loans, and overseeing Pell Grants. However, critics and advocates are skeptical about how these functions can remain unaffected by the significant reduction in staff. Much of the department’s work, including investigating civil rights complaints and helping families apply for financial aid, is labor-intensive and may suffer from the layoffs.

Reactions to the Cuts

Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform supports the cuts, believing they will free up state and local leaders to foster more opportunities for schools and educators. On the other hand, Roxanne Garza, former chief of staff in the Office of Postsecondary Education, doubts the department’s claim that its functions will not be impacted, highlighting the labor-intensive nature of many of its tasks.

Conclusion

The planned layoffs at the Education Department mark a significant step in the Trump administration’s efforts to reduce the federal government’s role in education. While the department assures that key functions will continue uninterrupted, concerns about the impact on students, particularly those with disabilities and those relying on federal student loans, are valid. The effectiveness of the department’s operations post-layoffs will be closely watched, as the administration’s vision for a more streamlined federal role in education takes shape.

FAQs

• Q: How many employees will the Education Department lay off?
  • A: Over 1,300 employees will be laid off as part of the effort to halve the organization’s staff.
• Q: Why is the Education Department being downsized?
  • A: The downsizing is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce the federal government’s footprint and dismantle the agency.
• Q: Will the department’s key functions be affected by the layoffs?
  • A: The department claims that key functions such as distributing federal aid, managing student loans, and overseeing Pell Grants will continue uninterrupted. However, critics are skeptical about the feasibility of this given the labor-intensive nature of much of the department’s work.
• Q: What has been the reaction to the announced layoffs?
  • A: Reactions are mixed, with some supporting the move as a way to reduce federal interference and others expressing concern about the potential impact on students and the department’s ability to perform its duties.
    

    By COLLIN BINKLEY

    WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department plans to lay off more than 1,300 of its employees as part of an effort to halve the organization’s staff — a prelude to President Donald Trump’s plan to dismantle the agency.

    Department officials announced the cuts Tuesday, raising questions about the agency’s ability to continue usual operations.

    The Trump administration had already been whittling the agency’s staff, though buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After Tuesday’s layoffs, the Education Department’s staff will sit at roughly half of its previous 4,100, the agency said.

    The layoffs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by Trump as he moves to reduce the footprint of the federal government. Thousands of jobs are expected to be cut across the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and other agencies.

    The department is also terminating leases on buildings in cities including New York, Boston, Chicago and Cleveland, officials said.

    Department officials said it would continue to deliver on its key functions such as the distribution of federal aid to schools, student loan management and oversight of Pell Grants.

    Education Secretary Linda McMahon said when she got to the department, she wanted to reduce bloat to be able to send more money to local education authorities.

    “So many of the programs are really excellent, so we need to make sure the money goes to the states,” McMahon said in an interview Tuesday on Fox News.

    McMahon told employees to brace for profound cuts in a memo issued March 3, the day she was confirmed by the Senate. She said it was the department’s “final mission” to eliminate bureaucratic bloat and turn over the agency’s authority to states.

    The department sent an email to employees Tuesday telling them its Washington headquarters and regional offices would be closed Wednesday, with access forbidden, before reopening Thursday. The only reason given for the closures was unspecified “security reasons.”

    Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department, saying it had been overtaken by “radicals, zealots and Marxists.” At McMahon’s confirmation hearing, she acknowledged only Congress has the power to abolish the agency but said it might be due for cuts and a reorganization.

    Whether the cuts will be felt by America’s students — as Democrats and advocates fear — is yet to be seen. Already there are concerns the administration’s agenda has pushed aside some of the agency’s most fundamental work, including the enforcement of civil rights for students with disabilities and the management of $1.6 trillion in federal student loans.

    McMahon told lawmakers at her hearing that her aim is not to defund core programs, but to make them more efficient.

    Even before the layoffs, the Education Department was among the smallest Cabinet-level agencies. Its workforce included 3,100 people in Washington and an additional 1,100 at regional offices across the country, according to a department website.

    The department’s workers had faced increasing pressure to quit their jobs since Trump took office, first through a deferred resignation program and then through a $25,000 buyout offer that expired March 3.

    Jeanne Allen of the Center for Education Reform, which advocates for charter school expansion, said the cuts were important and necessary.

    “Ending incessant federal interference will free up state and local leaders to foster more opportunities to give schools and educators true flexibility and innovation to address the needs of students, wherever they are educated,” Allen said.

    Some advocates were skeptical of the department’s claim that its functions would not be affected by the layoffs.

    “I don’t see at all how that can be true,” said Roxanne Garza, who was chief of staff in the Office of Postsecondary Education under President Joe Biden.

    Much of what the department does, like investigating civil rights complaints and helping families apply for financial aid, is labor intensive, said Garza, who is now director of higher education policy at Education Trust, a research and advocacy organization. “How those things will not be impacted with far fewer staff … I just don’t see it.”

    The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Find the AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.

Originally Published: March 11, 2025 at 6:07 PM EDT