WASHINGTON – Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and 37 Senate colleagues wrote to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon expressing outrage at the administration’s reckless and illegal firing 1,300 workers at the U.S. Department of Education — over half of its workforce — which will devastate America’s public education system and impact students across the country.
“At a time of massive income and wealth inequality, when 60 percent of people live paycheck to paycheck, millions of Americans cannot afford higher education, and 40 percent of our nation’s 4th graders and 33 percent of 8th graders read below basic proficiency, it is a national disgrace that the Trump Administration is attempting to illegally abolish the Department of Education and thus, undermine a high-quality education for our students,” wrote the Senators.
The Senators noted that these layoffs and closures will have devastating effects on the nation’s students, including by limiting the department’s ability to guarantee federal funding reaches communities that rely on it, ensure students can access federal financial aid, and uphold students’ civil rights. Not even 24 hours after the staff reductions were announced, the Free Application for Federal Financial Aid (FAFSA) experienced a glitch that prevented students and families from accessing the application. Education Department workers responsible for fixing it had reportedly been fired.
“[The layoffs] would also mean decreased enforcement of rights for children with disabilities and fewer resources for students from low-income backgrounds and children with disabilities, like the 26 million students from low-income backgrounds and over 100,000 public schools in every community across this country that rely on Title I funding; the 7.5 million students with disabilities who benefit under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the 7 million students who receive Pell grants to help access higher education,” the Senators continued.
Secretary McMahon confirmed on Fox News that the cuts align with Trump’s mandate to eliminate the department, which oversees $1.6 trillion in student loans, enforces civil rights protections in schools, and provides essential funding to underserved districts
“We will not stand by as you attempt to turn back the clock on education in this country through gutting the Department of Education. Our nation’s public schools, colleges, and universities are preparing the next generation of America’s leaders—we must take steps to strengthen education in this country, not take a wrecking ball to the agency that exists to do so,” concluded the Senators.
Read the full letter HERE.
3/17/25