Washington, DC – Yesterday, the Trump Administration gutted the Department of Education by eliminating half of its workforce – roughly 2,000 public servants who were working to help children, students, families, and educators across the country succeed. This came shortly after reports circulated last week of a draft executive order to shut down the Department of Education as well as remarks from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon about winding down the Department’s functions.
While only Congress legally has the power to shut down the Department of Education, the mass firings effectively stop many of the agency’s important functions, which include administering funding to educate low-income children and children with disabilities, providing financial assistance to make a college education or career training more affordable, and ensuring protections for students according to civil rights laws.
“This is an attack on children and students, especially students who have long been denied full access to education and opportunity, including Southeast Asian Americans,” said Quyên Đinh, SEARAC Executive Director. “Nearly 14% of SEAAs are low-income, and a quarter have not attained a high school diploma. When so many of our students are supported by federal government initiatives to make education more accessible and more affordable, decimating the Department of Education isn’t about getting rid of bureaucracy – it’s about cutting off access to education for millions of students. We denounce the mass terminations as they are a clear signal that this administration doesn’t care about children, students, families, and educators.”
Media contact: Elaine Sanchez Wilson, elaine@searac.org
