Education Department staff say cuts hinder agency's mission

Employees at the U.S. Department of Education say the Trump administration's efforts to reduce the agency have made its work more complex and less efficient. They argue the cuts are harming students. Education Secretary Linda McMahon has defended the changes as cutting red tape.

The internal friction at the Department of Education reflects a broader ideological clash over the federal role in schooling. The Trump administration has long argued that education policy should be largely state- and local-controlled, with Washington’s bureaucracy seen as an obstacle. Staff, however, contend that the agency’s statutory duties—such as enforcing civil rights laws and distributing student aid—require robust capacity. When leadership prioritizes downsizing, routine operations can become strained, and morale often suffers. This tension is not new, but the current push to shrink the department has intensified it, leaving employees to navigate conflicting mandates: execute existing programs while preparing for their possible dismantlement. The result, according to those inside, is a mission that has become harder to fulfill even as its public defenders claim simplification.