Department of Education lays off almost 50% of staff as Donald Trump takes 'first step' to shutdown

The Department of Education has initiated its reduction in the workforce to target 'bureaucratic bloat'.

Yesterday (March 11), the US Department of Education revealed its initiation of a reduction in force (RIF) impacting 'nearly 50 percent of the Department's workforce'.

The US Department of Education released a press release noting the Department's workforce stood at 4,133 workers when Trump was sworn in as the 47th President of the United States.

As a result of the RIF being initiated, the Department's workforce is now set to total 'roughly 2,183 workers' - a reduction of around 1,950 employees.

The release details: "Included in the reduction in force are nearly 600 employees who accepted voluntary resignation opportunities and retirement over the last seven weeks, including: 259 employees accepted the Deferred Resignation Program [and] 313 employees accepted the Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment."

Any remaining employees impacted by the RIF 'will be placed on administrative leave beginning' March 21.

The release also included a statement from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

The DOE have laid off nearly 50 percent of staff (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

McMahon said: "Today's reduction in force reflects the Department of Education's commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers.

"I appreciate the work of the dedicated public servants and their contributions to the Department.

"This is a significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system."

During an interview on Fox News' Laura Ingraham's The Ingraham Angle, McMahon said the layoffs were part of Trump's 'mandate' and 'directive' to 'shut down the Department of Education'.

Trump is trying to 'shut down the Department' (Win McNamee/Getty Image)

Indeed, during one of his campaign videos, Trump said: "We’re going to end education coming out of Washington, DC. We’re going to close it up - all those buildings all over the place and people that in many cases hate our children. We’re going to send it all back to the states."

McMahon added, as quoted by The Blaze: "What we did today was to take the first step of eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat.

"[...] We wanted to make sure that we kept all of the right people, the good people, to make sure that the outward-facing programs, the grants, the appropriations that come from Congress, all of that are being met, and none of that's going to fall through the cracks."

In response to the layoffs, National Education Association President Becky Pringle released a statement which reads, as quoted by ABC News: "Firing - without cause - nearly half of the Department of Education staff means they are getting rid of the dedicated public servants who help ensure our nation's students have access to the programs and resources to keep class sizes down and expand learning opportunities for students so they can grow into their full brilliance. The Trump administration has abandoned students, parents, and educators across the nation."

The layoffs have been met with extreme backlash (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

President of the American Federation of Teachers Randi Weingarten told MSNBC that shutting down the Education Department is a 'disaster' and is 'taking opportunity away from kids who don't have it'.

However, MacMahon has argued the president is 'taking the bureaucracy out of education so that more money flows to the states'.

She told Ingraham: "Better education is closest to the kids, with parents, with the local superintendents, with local school boards. I think we'll see our scores go up with our students when we can educate them with parental input as well."

UNILAD has contacted the US Department of Education for comment.