President Trump Signs Order to Dismantle the Department of Education
Published March 24, 2025
By AACOM Government Relations
Federal Policy
OME Advocate
- On March 20, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order (EO) instructing Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the Department of Education (ED).
- The EO follows a March 11, 2025 announcement of a reduction in force (RIF) impacting nearly 50% of the ED’s workforce. Roughly 1,300 impacted employees were set for administrative leave as of Friday, March 21.
- Separately, following a recent court order, the ED is reinstating 65 probationary employees. In a legal challenge to federal terminations, a U.S. District Judge stated that putting fired employees on administrative leave would not comply with his order to bring them back. The Trump administration has appealed these decisions and intends to continue reducing the workforce across federal agencies.
- In related actions, ED removed the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) application form without notice from its website and instructed student loan services to halt all processing.
- In response, the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a lawsuit against ED, alleging unlawful restricted access to IDR plans, which are essential for borrowers pursuing Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF).
- The lawsuit underscores growing tensions between the administration and public sector unions, as critics argue the ED's actions are obstructing borrowers' progress toward loan forgiveness.
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