Trump Fires 1,300 Education Department Employees in One Day... Is Closure Imminent?

Secretary of Education:
"Transferring Authority to the States
Is the Ultimate Mission"

U.S. President Donald Trump, who is pushing for federal government efficiency, announced on the 11th (local time) that more than 1,300 employees of the Department of Education will be laid off, according to reports by the Associated Press (AP) and The Washington Post (WP). As a result, the size of the Department of Education will be cut in half.

As of early this year, the Department of Education had 4,133 employees, and on this day, about one-third, or 1,315 employees, will be laid off. Prior to this, the Trump administration had already been conducting layoffs within the Department of Education. In recent weeks, about 572 employees accepted voluntary layoff offers, and contracts for 63 probationary employees ended last month. Consequently, the size of the Department of Education will be reduced by half.

Donald Trump, President of the United States. Photo by AP Yonhap News

According to Department of Education officials, lease agreements for offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland will also be terminated. However, they stated that these changes will not affect functions such as the distribution of federal education funds, support for low-income families, or management of student loans.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in a statement, "Today's reductions reflect our commitment to focus the Department of Education's efficiency, accountability, and resources on what matters most: students, parents, and teachers."

In an interview with Fox News on the same day, Secretary McMahon said, "Many programs are truly excellent, so funding should be returned to the states." After being confirmed by the Senate on the 3rd, McMahon warned employees to prepare for large-scale cuts. She also said that reducing administrative inefficiencies and transferring authority to each state is the Department of Education's "ultimate mission."

During his election campaign, President Trump pledged to abolish the Department of Education. He also claimed that the department had been taken over by radicals, fanatics, and Marxists. The department's functions have been reduced through employee layoffs, program suspensions, research cancellations, and grant terminations.

Secretary McMahon recently stated in a Fox News interview that President Trump plans to sign an executive order to close the Department of Education.

However, even if President Trump signs the executive order, actually closing the Department of Education is expected to be difficult because congressional approval is required. Although the Republican Party holds the majority in both the Senate and the House, there are strong voices opposing the closure of the Department of Education, making it unlikely to secure enough votes in favor.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.