Government Shutdown Leads to More Reductions at Education Department
The government shutdown now in its 14th day has led to a wide range of reductions in force (RIF) with the Department of Education taking some of the largest hits to its staff.
The 466 RIFs have brought the DOE’s employment to under 2,000, or less than half of where it stood before President Trump and Elon Musk took aim at eliminating the department a few months ago.
Normally during a shutdown, employees are furloughed and then brought back with back pay. This time, President Trump is firing staff as he tries to shrink the size of government. This method will likely be challenged in court as it has not been used before during a shutdown, but Trump is determined to make the states more responsible for education decisions rather than rely on federal bureaucrats
The immediate upside is a victory for the American taxpayer. By cutting nearly 20% of the remaining workforce, the administration signals a commitment to streamlining operations and eliminating redundant or over-reaching functions that do not directly benefit students in the classroom. This is about ensuring that billions of dollars in federal education funding are managed efficiently, not consumed by an expanding Washington bureaucracy.
If the latest reductions hold, then states will encounter fewer levels of bureaucracy that have stymied them as they try and craft education that best fits the students rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate from the government.
This is not to say that the states make the right decision in all cases-think transgender policies, critical race theory etc… but education as a whole is best left to local educators.
Don Irvine
Donald Irvine is the chairman of of Accuracy in Academia (AIA), a non-profit research group reporting on bias in education. Irvine follows his father’s legacy, Reed Irvine, to critically analyze the liberal media’s bias and brings over thirty years of media analysis experience. He has published countless blog posts and articles on media bias, in context of current events, and he has been interviewed by many news media outlets during his professional career. He currently hosts a livestream weekly show on AIA’s Facebook page which discusses current events.
Irvine graduated from the University of Maryland and rose up the ranks to become chairman of Accuracy in Media until his transition to AIA.
He resides in the suburbs around the nation’s capital and is a proud father and grandfather.
