WASHINGTON ¨C The U.S. Department of Education said Tuesday it would lay off nearly half its staff, a possible precursor to closing altogether, as government agencies scrambled to meet President Donald Trump¡¯s deadline to submit plans for a second round of mass layoffs.
The terminations are part of the department¡¯s ¡°final mission,¡± it said in a news release, alluding to Trump¡¯s vow to eliminate the department, which oversees $1.6 trillion in college loans, enforces civil rights laws in schools and provides federal funding for needy districts.
Asked on Fox News whether the firings would lead to the department¡¯s dismantling, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said yes, adding that doing so ¡°was the president¡¯s mandate.¡± The layoffs would leave the department with 2,183 workers, down from 4,133 when Trump took office in January.
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