Drastic staffing cuts at the Education Department to be reviewed
The Education Department’s Office of Inspector General plans to conduct a “series of reviews” into the mass layoffs at the nation’s education agency.
The Education Department’s Office of Inspector General plans to conduct a “series of reviews” into the recent mass layoffs at the department, according to a letter obtained by NBC News.
The Trump administration has sought to dismantle the Education Department, which President Donald Trump has long wanted to do but cannot fully achieve without congressional approval.
That has not stopped him from trying. In March, Trump signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin winding down the department. The order came shortly after the Education Department announced it was reducing its workforce by about 50%, which McMahon said reflected the department’s commitment to “efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.”
Trump has said he wants states to have oversight over the education system. The federal workforce cuts have alarmed education advocates, who worry the layoffs will mean fewer resources for disadvantaged students and other problems.
Eleven Democratic senators expressed their concerns to the Education Department’s acting inspector general, René Rocque, writing to her on March 27 to ask for an investigation into the administration’s intention to dissolve the department and warning that the cuts could have “disastrous consequences.”
Rating: 5