Washington state joined 20 other states in suing President Donald J Trump and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon today to stop the reduction of force of 50% of the department’s staff.
“This massive reduction in force (RIF) is equivalent to incapacitating key, statutorily mandated functions of the Department, causing immense damage to Plaintiff States and their educational systems,” the filing reads.
On March 11, the Trump administration announced the Department of Education would fire approximately 50% of its workforce as part of its goal of a “total shutdown” of the department.
“Knowledge is power, and these cuts are intended to take invaluable learning opportunities away from millions of students,” Brown said. “As many of Trump’s illegal cuts do, these impacts will fall hardest on young people and families that can least afford it.”
The lawsuit argues that the executive branch does not have the legal authority to unilaterally incapacitate or dismantle the Department of Education without an act of Congress.
The states’ lawsuit states that the massive firings are “not supported by any actual reasoning or specific determinations about how to eliminate purposed waste in the Department.” Rather, the complaint filed this morning in Massachusetts, says the executive order is “part and parcel of President Trump’s and Secretary McMahon’s opposition to the Department of Education’s entire existence.”
Brown alleges that the Trump administration’s actions will deprive students with special needs of critical resources and support and gut the department’s Office of Civil Rights, which protects students from discrimination and sexual assault. The cuts would also hamstring the processing of financial aid, raising costs for millions of college and university students who will have a harder time accessing loans, Pell grants, and work study programs, the AG’s Office added.
The Department of Education in a press release on the RIF stated that it “will continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking.”
The other states Joining Washington state in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Vermont, and the District of Columbia.
Background
When President Trump was inaugurated, the Department’s workforce stood at 4,133 workers. After Tuesday’s actions, the Department’s workforce will total roughly 2,183 workers. Included in the reduction in force are nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation opportunities and retirement over the last seven weeks, including:
- 259 employees accepted the Deferred Resignation Program
- 313 employees accepted the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment
Remaining employees impacted by the reduction in force will be placed on administrative leave beginning next Friday, March 21. Pursuant to regulatory requirements and the Department’s collective bargaining agreement, all impacted employees will receive full pay and benefits until June 9th, as well as substantial severance pay or retirement benefits based upon their length of
Author: Mario Lotmore
