Mass layoffs expected at Department of Education

 Mass layoffs are expected to hit the Department of Education on Wednesday as the Trump administration continues its deep cuts to the federal workforce.

The department will be closed for the day, and "reduction in force" notices are expected to go out and affect nearly half the agency's employees, according to Semafor's Shelby Talcott.

Employees were told to leave the department's Washington, D.C., headquarters by 6 p.m. on Tuesday ahead of the layoffs and one-day building closure. There are roughly 4,200 Education Department employees nationwide.

The announcement came as President Donald Trump and the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency aims to cut government spending by reducing the workforce in Washington, D.C.

While multiple agencies have been affected, the Department of Education has faced particular scrutiny from Republicans since the agency was founded in 1980. Republicans see the entire department as a vehicle to advance teachers unions, though Trump has found ways to use the department to advance his agenda.

Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon have used the Department of Education in recent days to warn colleges about "consequences" for failing to address antisemitism on campus and have threatened federal grant funding over what Trump has described as illegal protests.

DOGE needs a scalpel, not an ax

Republicans such as Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) cheered the efforts. She described the department as a slush fund for teachers unions, and Trump is reportedly preparing an executive order to dismantle the department.