Trump’s administration is trying to shut down the Department of Education and lay off employees.

Question

The article explains that President Trump signed an order to start closing the Department of Education and lay off nearly 1,400 workers. The Supreme Court allowed the administration to continue, even though a lower court had blocked it. Experts and teachers’ groups warn that getting rid of the department could cause problems for schools, students with disabilities, and college financial aid programs. Some programs, like Pell Grants and federal loans, would still exist, but the process might become slower or harder to manage. Many people are worried about delays and confusion for students, schools, and families.

Answer 1

According to this article on PBS.org (https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/how-the-trump-administration-is-dramatically-reshaping-education-in-america), Trump issued an executive order in March to begin dismantling the Department of Education. The article also notes that the United States Secretary of Education has stated that it is her "final mission" to begin dismantling her department.  Also in The New York Times Article (https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/11/us/politics/trump-education-department-firings.html#:~:text=Education%20Department%20Fires%201%2C300%20Workers,Staff%20%2D%20The%20New%20York%20Times) "Education Department Fires 1,300 Workers, Gutting Its Staff," it confirms that the layoffs are affecting the department. This fact is true; the evidence cited in the post and the subsequent research confirm it. 

Answer 2

This is True. Trump is taking away funds, and rapidly trying to make an impact on the Department of Education. According to NPR, "The reduction-in-force, or RIF, affects the dozens of staff members responsible for roughly $15 billion in special education funding and for making sure states provide special education services to the nation's 7.5 million children with disabilities" (NPR, 2025). This is extremely unfortunate for everybody because the Department of Education positively helps so many people. Especially for special education, taking away this positive support will negatively impact lots of students for no reason. The number of jobs is rapidly decreasing. If there is not a quick fix to this, I fear that the number of jobs could keep decreasing. According to PBS News, “The Education Department had about 4,100 employees when Trump took office. After the new layoffs, it would be down to fewer than 2,000” (PBS News, 2025). This shows that in fact, Trump is trying to shut down the Department of Education.

Press, A. (2025, October 13). Education department layoffs hit offices that Oversee Special Education and civil rights enforcement. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/education-department-layoffs-hit-offices-that-oversee-special-education-and-civil-rights-enforcement

Turner, C. (2025, October 13). Amid shutdown, trump administration guts department overseeing special education. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2025/10/13/nx-s1-5572489/trump-special-education-department-funding-layoffs-disabilities

Answer 3

This is true. After further research, Clery Center says, dismantling the department of education has been a "republican policy goal since the 1980s." In the ending of March 2025, "Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the U.S Department of Education, while also urging Congress to abolish it outright." (https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/how-dismantling-department-education-would-harm-students) The White House argues that by abolishing the Department of Education it will "return power to the states." Which is untrue as the "states already control most of public education." The dismantling of the department of education not only affects the students but also educators who won't have jobs because of this as the dismantling will start to lay off 1,400 workers. (https://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/articles/what-happens-if-the-education-department-is-dissolved) 

Comments

Great fact check, and sources are accurate with good citation of text.