The United States Department of Education reported that it would fire almost half of its staff. The announcement generated doubts about the agency's ability to continue its operations.
The United States Department of Education plans to fire more than 1,300 employees as part of an effort to reduce the organization's workforce by half.
Department officials announced the cuts on Tuesday, which generated doubts about the agency's ability to continue their usual operations.
The Trump administration had been reducing the agency's workforce by means of compensation for dismissal and the termination of employee contracts during the trial period. After the layoffs of Tuesday, the staff of the Department of Education will be reduced to approximately half of its 4,100 previous employees, according to the agency.
The dismissals are part of a drastic reduction of personnel ordered by President Trump to reduce the influence of the federal government. The elimination of thousands of jobs in the Department of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration and other agencies is expected.
End of lease contracts
The department is also terminating buildings lease contracts in cities such as New York; Boston, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; and Cleveland, Ohio, authorities reported.
Department officials affirmed that this would continue to perform their key functions, such as federal aid distribution to schools, student loans and the supervision of Pell scholarships.
“Today's reduction of personnel reflects the commitment of the Department of Education with efficiency, accountability and the guarantee that resources are directed to those who matter: students, parents and teachers,” said the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon.
McMahon urged employees to prepare for deep cuts in a memorandum broadcast on March 3, the day of their confirmation by the Senate. He added that the “final mission” of the department was to eliminate the bureaucracy and transfer the authority of the agency to the states.
The department sent an email to the employees on Tuesday to inform them that their headquarters in Washington and the regional offices would remain closed on Wednesday, with prohibited access, before reopening on Thursday. The only reason wielded for closures were unpleasant safety reasons. The secretary seeks efficiency, he says.
(With information from The Associated Press)