The Scoop
The Education Department began cutting nearly half its workforce on Tuesday night, Semafor first reported, in a move that an administration official said will impact “every part of the department.”
The “reduction of force” notices were sent out starting at 6pm, after staffers were notified that the offices would be closed “for security reasons” today.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, while acknowledging fully closing the agency would likely take an act of Congress, told Fox News’ The Ingraham Angle that the layoffs are the first step towards a complete shutdown — Trump’s ultimate goal.
The administration official, meanwhile, said Tuesday’s purge won’t impact things like formula funding, Pell Grants, and civil rights investigations, but a number of buildings across the country are expected to close. It’s a “big change for the department,” the person said, but “what we’re doing right now is not working.”