A group of 20 Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit on Thursday intended to stop President Donald Trump from dismantling the Department of Education.
The suit comes after the Trump administration announced it plans to cut nearly 50% of the department's staff, with the eventual goal of completely shutting down the Education Department.
The attorneys general argue that dismantling the Department of Education would disproportionately affect low-income students and students with disabilities. They say that the Department of Education helps provide states and local school districts with much-needed funding.
“This administration may claim to be stopping waste and fraud, but it is clear that their only mission is to take away the necessary services, resources, and funding that students and their families need,” said New York Attorney General James. “Firing half of the Department of Education’s workforce will hurt students throughout New York and the nation, especially low-income students and those with disabilities who rely on federal funding. This outrageous effort to leave students behind and deprive them of a quality education is reckless and illegal. Today, I am taking action to stop the madness and protect our schools and the students who depend on them.”
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Earlier this week, the White House said the department will make the following reductions from its more than 4,000 staff:
- 259 staffers who signed up for deferred resignation
- 313 staffers who accepted $25,000 voluntary separation incentive payments
- 1,315 staffers who are now subject to the reduction in force
- 63 probationary employees who had their roles eliminated in February
The reduction comes shortly after the Senate confirmed billionaire Linda McMahon, President Trump's pick for Education Secretary.
At her confirmation hearing, McMahon said she intended to make the Education Department "operate more efficiently."
But President Trump has promised to eliminate the Department of Education. He has already signed sweeping orders to target diversity programs and transgender accommodations in schools and expand school choice.
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President Trump has insisted that he wants states, and not the federal government, running education in the U.S. But largely, states oversee local school districts, with the federal government providing funds for certain programs, such as the free and reduced-cost school lunch program. The federal government also provides oversight in terms of ensuring schools are not violating the civil rights of students.
"We want education to be moved back where the states run education where the parents of the children will be running education where governors that are doing a very good job will be running education," President Trump said earlier this week.
