Layoffs Are Part of Broader Plan to Shutter Department
The Education Department first revealed plans to slash 50% of its workforce in March, as part of a March 20 executive order aimed at transferring many of its “discretionary functions” to the states. The administration, led by President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon, has argued the moves will “streamline” government.
More than 1,378 employees have been placed on administrative leave and are slated for termination under the plan. Judge Myong J. Joun, a Biden appointee, had previously granted an injunction halting the firings, but Monday’s decision suspends that protection pending appeal.
Legal War: States, Unions, Schools vs. Federal Government
The move drew swift legal resistance from New York, 19 other states, and the District of Columbia, which filed suit in Massachusetts federal court. They were soon joined by teachers’ unions and local school districts, arguing that the layoffs would gut the department’s ability to fulfill key statutory functions.
One central example: the team responsible for publishing the Nation’s Report Card, a federally mandated annual education benchmark. Plaintiffs said the team had been slashed from 80 people to just three, rendering it unable to produce data crucial for setting academic standards across the country.
“This is not about employee rights,” the states argued. “This is about preventing irreparable harm to national education infrastructure.”
