Secretary McMahon eliminated nearly half the Department of Education workforce, cutting ~1,950 positions across all major divisions

On March 11, 2025, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a reduction in force eliminating nearly half the Department of Education workforce, cutting from approximately 4,133 employees at inauguration to about 2,183. Approximately 600 employees had already departed through deferred resignation and voluntary separation programs in preceding weeks; the March 11 announcement covered the remaining involuntary layoffs. Affected employees were placed on administrative leave beginning March 21, 2025, with formal separation effective June 9, 2025.

The reduction in force eliminated staff across all major divisions: the Office for Civil Rights — the primary federal enforcement mechanism for anti-discrimination law in schools — the Institute of Education Sciences, Federal Student Aid, the Office of Special Education Programs, and Title I formula grant administration. The Department of Education's Office of Inspector General reviewed the cuts and found that some reductions appeared to impact the department's ability to carry out its statutory responsibilities. Secretary McMahon framed the layoffs as part of the department's "final mission," anticipating the department's eventual closure.

The cuts were executed under Trump's DOGE Workforce Optimization Initiative (EO 14210, February 11, 2025). This event is distinct from EO 14242, signed March 20, 2025, in which Trump formally directed McMahon to facilitate complete closure of the congressionally-established department; the March 11 RIF was the mass-layoff action that preceded and was later confirmed by that directive. Courts later found the mass layoffs impaired congressionally-mandated functions; a Supreme Court shadow-docket 6-3 stay in McMahon v. New York (July 14, 2025) ultimately allowed the layoffs to proceed despite lower-court reinstatement orders.