The Supreme Court just gave Trump exactly what he wanted—approval to lay off 1,400 workers from the U.S. Department of Education as part of his mission to shut it down and shift control of school policy to the states.
On July 14, the conservative-majority court sided with the Trump administration, tossing out lower court rulings that had blocked the mass terminations. This decision clears the way for the administration to move full-speed ahead with dismantling the federal agency that’s handled everything from student loans to civil rights enforcement in schools.
The workers had been placed on paid administrative leave back in March, but now their jobs are officially gone. The Education Department’s payroll had still been burning through more than $7 million a month, even though those employees weren’t allowed to work.
Trump signed an executive order in March directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to begin shutting down the department. The plan included moving student loans to the Small Business Administration and shifting special education services to the Department of Health and Human Services.
While the administration claims the agency can still function with a smaller staff, critics say essential operations have already been gutted. The department lost nearly all the workers responsible for certifying colleges and distributing federal student aid.
A federal judge previously halted the layoffs in May, ruling that the administration was dismantling the agency without Congressional approval. An appeals court backed that view—but the Supreme Court’s latest decision overrules both.
Democratic-led states, teachers’ unions, and school districts have blasted the move, warning that the cuts could delay or deny billions in education funding and services. The Democracy Forward Foundation warned that the damage may be irreversible if the firings aren’t reversed soon.
The Justice Department argued that the executive branch has full authority to decide staffing levels, and insisted the harm of rehiring outweighs any delays in education services.
