Education Secretary Linda McMahon announced that the federal agency dismissed almost half of their workforce on Tuesday, marking a first step toward abolishing the agency altogether.
There were roughly 4,100 employees at the Department of Education on the day President Donald Trump was inaugurated, but the dismissals decreased payrolls to 2,200 employees. Nearly 600 of the dismissals came from voluntary resignation opportunities and retirements.
Those employees will be placed on administrative leave through March 21, after which they will receive full pay and benefits through June 9, along with substantial severance pay or retirement benefits in accordance with regulatory requirements and a collective bargaining agreement.
“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 commented in a statement about the recent downsizing. “I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department. This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
The agency will continue to handle Pell Grants, student loans, funding for special needs students, competitive grantmaking, and other initiatives they are statutorily required to handle.
The downsizing indeed comes after Trump vowed to eliminate the Department of Education on the campaign trail. Republican candidates have spoken for decades about such a move ever since President Jimmy Carter elevated the agency to the Cabinet level half a century ago.
“We will drain the government education swamp and stop the abuse of your taxpayer dollars to indoctrinate America’s youth with all sorts of things that you don’t want to have our youth hearing,” the former commander-in-chief promised to a crowd of Wisconsin voters this fall.
Trump appointed McMahon, a former wrestling executive who led the Small Business Association under his first term, to serve as Secretary of Education, revealing that she would extend school choice to “every state in America” as well as “send education back to the states.”
