McMahon says shutdown reveals Education Department isn’t needed: Here’s what it means for schools

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has stated that the recent federal shutdown demonstrates the US Department of Education is unnecessary. Despite the shutdown, millions of American students have continued attending school, teachers are still receiving pay, and schools have remained operational, she said.McMahon argued that this situation confirms President Trump’s assertion that the federal Education Department’s role should be returned to individual states. Her comments were made in a post on X, formerly Twitter, where she criticised the department’s bureaucracy and questioned the need for its continued existence.Shutdown forces rethink of federal education roleIn her X post, McMahon wrote, “The Democrat government shutdown has forced agencies to evaluate what federal responsibilities are truly critical for the American people.”

She added, “Two weeks in, millions of American students are still going to school, teachers are getting paid, and schools are operating as normal.” The secretary concluded that the department is unnecessary and that education should be managed by states.McMahon further claimed the department has taken steps to reduce bureaucratic oversight that she described as burdensome to states and educators. She assured that no education funding has been impacted by the recent reduction in force (RIF), including special education.

The clean continuing resolution (CR) supported by the Trump administration, she said, would provide states and schools with the necessary funds to support students, according to her post on X as quoted by the Education Department’s official account.

Mass layoffs amid government shutdownThe Education Department has experienced a fresh round of layoffs, compounding previous staff reductions under the Trump administration.

On a recent Friday, 466 employees were laid off, reducing the department’s workforce by nearly a fifth. Since President Trump took office, the agency has lost over half of its original staff.These cuts are part of a broader Trump administration strategy to diminish the department’s size and redistribute its responsibilities. Adult education and workforce programmes have already been transferred to the Department of Labor, and negotiations continue to move the student loan portfolio, worth approximately $1.6 trillion, to the Treasury Department.Impact on schools and enforcementOfficials from the Education Department have not released detailed information regarding the recent layoffs. A union representing more than 2,700 department workers, AFGE Local 252, reported that the staff cuts will severely affect several offices within the agency.Concerns have been raised about possible disruptions to vital areas such as special education services, civil rights enforcement, and after-school programmes.

The full impact on schools and students remains uncertain as the department’s resources shrink.The ongoing reductions highlight a significant shift in federal education policy under the Trump administration. The department’s role and future continue to be a subject of debate as the administration pursues a strategy of decentralising education authority to the states.