{"id":103112,"date":"2025-03-14T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T11:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/?p=103112"},"modified":"2025-03-14T03:43:12","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T07:43:12","slug":"department-of-education-reducing-staff-by-half","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/department-of-education-reducing-staff-by-half\/","title":{"rendered":"Department of Education Lays off 1,300 Workers, Reducing Staff by Half"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The U.S. Department of Education has made the decision to cut more than 1,300 jobs, significantly reducing its workforce as part of the Trump administration&#8217;s efforts to streamline operations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/education-news\/articles\/2025-03-12\/the-education-department-cuts-nearly-2-000-employees-what-to-know\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/education-news\/articles\/2025-03-12\/the-education-department-cuts-nearly-2-000-employees-what-to-know\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">USNews<\/a><\/strong>, these layoffs mark a significant shift in the department&#8217;s approach to governance. With these cuts, the department\u2019s staff is now about half the size it was when President Trump took office in 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The department, which started the year with 4,133 employees, will now operate with roughly 2,000 staff members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Large-Scale Reduction in Workforce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The layoffs, which affect nearly all divisions within the department, are part of a broader plan to downsize <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/trumps-radical-government-overhaul\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"101352\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the federal government<\/a> and reduce what the administration sees as unnecessary bureaucracy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The cuts include staff members from key areas like the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/trump-administration-shuts-down-student-loan\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"102344\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Federal Student Aid<\/a> office, the Institute of Education Sciences, and the Office for Civil Rights. Additionally, 572 employees have accepted voluntary resignation offers, and 63 probationary workers were terminated in the previous month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The layoffs will take effect on 21st March, with affected employees receiving full pay and benefits until 9th June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Assurances From the Department of Education<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite these significant reductions, Education Secretary <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/about\/news\/speech\/secretary-mcmahon-our-departments-final-mission\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.ed.gov\/about\/news\/speech\/secretary-mcmahon-our-departments-final-mission\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Linda McMahon<\/a><\/strong> has assured that critical programmes, such as student loans, Pell Grants, and special education funding, will remain unaffected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>McMahon emphasised that the department&#8217;s goal is to provide these services more efficiently while ensuring that resources are directed to where they are most needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Today\u2019s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education\u2019s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>McMahon said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p> 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Political Responses to the Layoffs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement has sparked a wave of criticism from Democratic lawmakers, who argue that the layoffs will undermine the department\u2019s ability to serve students, teachers, and parents effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Senator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.murray.senate.gov\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.murray.senate.gov\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Patty Murray<\/a> criticised the decision, claiming it would severely damage public education and deprive students of necessary resources. She stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Families want help to get students\u2019 math and reading scores up and ensure their kids can thrive \u2013 instead, Donald Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the Department of Education and robbing our students and teachers of the resources and support they need, so that Republicans can pay for more massive tax cuts for billionaires,<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Donald Trump and Linda McMahon know they can\u2019t abolish the Department of Education on their own but they understand that if you gut it to its very core and fire all the people who run programs that help students, families, and teachers, you might end up with a similar, ruinous result.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Republican Views on Downsizing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand, Republicans support the layoffs, viewing them as an effort to reduce federal government overreach and eliminate unnecessary spending. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Proponents argue that the Education Department has become bloated and inefficient and that such cuts are necessary for the long-term betterment of the U.S. education system. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>President Trump<\/strong> has previously stated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>We\u2019re at the top of the list when it comes to cost per pupil. We spend more money per pupil than any other nation in the world and yet we\u2019re rated No. 40. The last ratings came out \u2013 you saw them. They talk about 40 countries. We\u2019re rated No. 40.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The U.S. Department of Education is cutting over 1,300 jobs, significantly reducing its workforce as part of ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to overhaul the federal government. With these layoffs, the department\u2019s staff will be reduced by nearly half, leaving approximately 2,000 employees to manage its responsibilities, including student loans and civil rights enforcement.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":103113,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-employment","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103112"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103112\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103118,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103112\/revisions\/103118"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}