Posted on 03/11/25
| News Source: The Hill
The Department of Education announced Tuesday it was firing nearly half of its workforce, the latest Trump administration move to shrink the federal government that could face swift legal challenge.
A senior department official said 1,315 staffers will be let go and received the notification Tuesday.
The Education Department started President Trump’s second term with more than 4,000 employees, but even before Tuesday, hundreds had already been put on leave or had taken a buyout offer.
After this reduction, there will be 2,183 employees left with the department, which Trump has repeatedly called to shutter completely.
The senior official said the reduction in employees will not impact student aid, Free Application for Federal Student Aid forms, formula funding to states, operations for students with disabilities, civil rights investigations or any statute-mandated obligations from Congress.
The department focused this layoff on teams that were reductive or unnecessary, they said.
“Every part of the department will be impacted in some way but this is primarily a streamlining effort for internal facing rules, not external facing roles,” the official said, giving examples such as finding six separate strategic communication functions for different offices that will be consolidated.