Education Department Faces Systematic Dismantling Under Trump
The US Department of Education is undergoing what employees describe as a systematic dismantling at the direction of President Donald Trump, with Secretary Linda McMahon overseeing the controversial process. Department workers have revealed to the Guardian that morale has completely collapsed as the administration pushes forward with plans to transfer key operations to other federal agencies.
Three anonymous employees within the department spoke out about the devastating impact of the administration's actions, with one stating that staff are "furious about the way we are being treated" following an all-staff meeting on Tuesday where McMahon announced the plans would proceed.
Staff Describe Chaotic Working Conditions
The department, which employed more than 4,000 staff when Trump took office in January, has seen its workforce dramatically reduced to approximately 2,700 employees. The president signed an executive order in March calling for the agency's shutdown, and the Supreme Court upheld mass firings in July, setting the stage for the current restructuring.
"Morale is completely lost," one employee reported after attending the staff meeting where not a single person applauded the announcement. The administration intends to seek congressional approval to make the temporary transfers permanent, moving operations to departments including Interior, Health and Human Services, Labor, and State.
A second employee described the department as "a fairly awful place to work right now" but expressed greater concern about the impact on educational support systems for children, students, families, and adult learners across America.
Confusion and Lack of Communication
The situation has created widespread confusion among staff, with one employee outside Washington DC revealing they've received no communication since the government reopened and remain locked out of work accounts. "Our group has received absolutely no communication from the Department of Education since the government reopened," they explained.
This employee characterised the administration's approach as making "it as difficult and traumatic as possible for us" after failing to eliminate the department as easily as intended. They added that the transfer plan "makes no sense" and will only create more chaos and confusion.
The lack of transparency has left staff uncertain about which operations are being redistributed versus shut down entirely, and whether employees will transfer with their work or face redundancy.
Union and Expert Criticism
The American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, representing department workers, condemned the moves as "unlawful" and harmful to American students. President Rachel Gittleman stated that breaking apart the department would "create more confusion for schools and colleges, deepen public distrust, and ultimately harm students and families."
Policy expert Angela Hanks questioned the logic of transferring the Title I programme, which serves 26 million children, to a Department of Labour programme serving only 130,000 children. She argued that rather than reducing bureaucracy, the move would "unleash chaos on school districts, and ultimately, on our kids."
Teacher unions joined the criticism, with National Education Association president Becky Pringle calling the timing particularly insulting as it occurred during American Education Week. Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers described the action as "an abdication and abandonment of America's future."
The Department of Education did not respond to multiple requests for comment, while the White House deferred questions to the department. Meanwhile, the administration has used social media to tout its dismantling efforts, including a post featuring an out-of-office email with the headline "OOO: Hopefully for good soon."
