(The Lion) — After a coalition of Democratic-led states sued over the Trump administration’s slashing of the Department of Education, the federal agency is doubling down on its mission to “return education authority to the states.”
A group of 21 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration on Thursday, arguing that its recent mass layoff “incapacitates” the department from performing its legally-mandated duties. The lawsuit came in response to the department laying off 50% of its workforce earlier this week.
“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American public to return education authority to the states,” DOE spokeswoman Madi Biedermann told The Lion in response to the lawsuit.
“The Department of Education’s reduction in force was implemented carefully and in compliance with all applicable regulations and laws,” she added. “They are strategic, internal-facing cuts that will not directly impact students and families.”
Employees working on the FAFSA, student loan servicing, and Elementary and Secondary Education Act Title funds were not affected, Biedermann noted. “No employees in the Office of Special Education Programs or the Rehabilitation Services Administration who serve children with disabilities were impacted,” she said, adding that the Office for Civil Rights will also continue operating.
The Democrat-run states suing have argued that the Trump administration’s cuts will shutter key programs for students with disabilities and low-income families.
The lawsuit, led by New York Attorney General Letitia James – who engaged in lawfare against Trump prior to his election – also argued that the layoffs were “an effective dismantling” of a congressionally created agency that the executive branch had “no authority” to incapacitate. Democrat leaders are asking a Massachusetts federal court to halt the Trump administration’s “directive to dismantle the Department of Education” and declare it unconstitutional.
“The Department is an executive agency authorized by Congress, with numerous different laws creating its various programs and funding streams,” a statement from James’ office noted. “The coalition’s lawsuit asserts that the executive branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally incapacitate or dismantle it without an act of Congress.”
President Trump has been a vocal critic of the department, calling it a “big con job.” Yet his pick for Education Secretary, Linda McMahon, has repeatedly acknowledged that she would work with Congress to dismantle the department rather than attempt to do so through the executive branch alone.
When asked in a Fox News interview if the layoffs were a “first step” on the road to a “total shutdown” of the department, McMahon said, “Yes, actually it is, because that was the President’s mandate.
“His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished,” she said. “But what we did today was to take the first step of eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat.”
The department had 4,133 employees at the time of Trump’s inauguration, but layoffs and employees who took buy-out offers have reduced the workforce to roughly 2,183 employees, the department said.
“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 said this week while announcing the cuts. “This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.”
