US Education Department fires 50 pc staff after Trump told its chief to ‘put yourself out of job’

Donald Trump's Department of Education on Tuesday (March 11) announced sweeping staff cuts of more than 1,300 people, reducing its workforce by nearly half, in the first major step towards dismantling the agency altogether. The move just six weeks into Trump's return to the White House is part of the US president's broader campaign to shrink the federal government, a goal that has already seen thousands of civil servants dismissed.

Put yourself out of a job, orders Trump

Education Secretary Linda McMahon, a former World Wrestling Entertainment CEO, revealed the decision in an interview with Fox News, stating that Trump had given her a clear directive that she "put herself out of a job."

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"His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we'll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished," she said.

McMahon described the layoffs as the first step in eliminating "bureaucratic bloat."

"But what we did today was to take the first step of eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat."

Employees locked out of office

Reports suggest that on Tuesday, employees were abruptly locked out of their offices as the agency implemented a dramatic reduction in force. According to a department statement, nearly 50 per cent of staff were affected, with further cuts planned.

"All divisions within the Department are impacted by the reduction, with some divisions requiring significant reorganisation to better serve students, parents, educators, and taxpayers," a statement read.

While the Department of Education oversees key functions such as student loans, learning assessments, and civil rights enforcement, Trump has long vowed to shift educational responsibilities to state governments. The department, which had around 4,100 employees when Trump returned to office, has already seen nearly 600 staffers resign or retire in recent weeks under a government-wide downsizing effort spearheaded by billionaire Elon Musk.

A further 1,300 employees will be placed on administrative leave later this month, though they will continue to receive pay until June, reports AFP.

The move to defund and downsize the department could serve as a backdoor strategy to neutralise the Department of Education without requiring congressional approval to formally dissolve it. Established in 1979, the Department of Education cannot legally be shut down without legislative consent, but critics argue that systematically stripping its resources and personnel achieves the same effect.

(With inputs from agencies)