Education Department Faces Systematic Dismantling Under Trump
Staff within the US Department of Education have described the Trump administration's latest efforts to dismantle the federal agency as making "no sense," with workers accusing officials of deliberately making their professional lives "as difficult and traumatic as possible."
Three employees who spoke anonymously to the Guardian revealed that morale has been "completely lost" just ten months after Donald Trump returned to the White House. Their accounts paint a picture of an agency in turmoil, with staff kept in the dark about their futures and critical programmes being transferred to other departments with questionable logic.
Staff Meeting Reveals Radical Restructuring Plans
On Tuesday afternoon, Education Secretary Linda McMahon conducted an all-staff meeting where she confirmed plans to proceed with fundamentally restructuring the department. The proposal involves transferring key operations to multiple other federal agencies, including the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Labor, and State.
"Not one person applauded," reported one employee who attended the meeting. "Morale is completely lost. Staff are furious about the way we are being treated."
Although technically temporary, the administration intends to seek Congressional approval to make these changes permanent, effectively dismantling the Education Department as it currently exists.
Rapid Decline From 4,000 to 2,700 Employees
The Trump administration has moved swiftly to reduce the department's capacity since January. When Trump took office, the agency employed more than 4,000 people, but that number has now dwindled to approximately 2,700.
This reduction follows Trump's executive order in March calling for the department's shutdown and a Supreme Court decision in July that upheld mass firings. The president had consistently signaled his intentions during his campaign, arguing that education oversight should be returned to state governments.
The rightwing Project 2025 manifesto, which outlines priorities for a potential second Trump administration, explicitly called for the department's dismantling and the elimination of many of its programmes and funds.
Chaos and Confusion for Department Staff
A second employee described the Department of Education as "a fairly awful place to work right now," but expressed greater concern about the impact on American students and families. "What is being done to the systems that support kids, students, families, adult learners and our country's future is worse than anything they can do to us," they stated.
This employee received a reduction in force notification during the government shutdown, informing them their role would be eliminated, though this was later rescinded due to a court order.
A third employee, based outside Washington DC, reported receiving no communication since the government reopened and being locked out of work accounts. "Our group has received absolutely no communication from the Department of Education since the government reopened. No rescinded notices, no clarification as to our status, and we, largely, do not have access to our accounts," they explained.
They described the situation as "disheartening" and suggested the administration was "making it as difficult and traumatic as possible for us" due to frustration at being unable to eliminate the department more easily.
Education Unions Condemn "Unlawful" Moves
The union representing education department workers called the administration's efforts "unlawful" and damaging to American students, educators, and families.
Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252 and a department worker, stated: "This latest ploy by the Trump administration to dismantle the congressionally created US Department of Education is not only unlawful – it's an insult to the tens of millions of students who rely on the agency to protect their access to a quality education."
She emphasized that students, educators and families depend on the department's comprehensive support for schools across all educational levels, from early learning through graduate programmes.
Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association representing 3 million educators, condemned the timing: "Donald Trump and his administration chose American Education Week, a time when our nation is celebrating students, public schools and educators, to announce their illegal plan to further abandon students by dismantling the Department of Education."
Questionable Logic Behind Programme Transfers
Policy experts have questioned the reasoning behind specific programme transfers. Angela Hanks, chief of policy programmes at the Century Foundation and former Department of Labor employee under Biden, highlighted the illogical nature of moving the Title I programme.
This programme serves 26 million children across the United States by providing federal funding to schools, yet it's being transferred to a Department of Labour programme that serves only 130,000 children.
Hanks challenged McMahon's assertion that the move would "peel back the layers of federal bureaucracy," arguing instead that "it will, at best, unleash chaos on school districts, and ultimately, on our kids."
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers representing 1.8 million workers, described the move as "an abdication and abandonment of America's future" rather than genuine reform.
The Department of Education did not respond to multiple requests for comment, while the White House deferred questions to the education department.
