The Supreme Court ruled Monday that President Donald Trump has the authority to cut half the Department of Education’s staff.
Earlier this year, Trump and Education Linda McMahon began dismantling the agency with the stated goal of “returning education authority to the states.” They moved to fire 1,400 ED employees in March but the layoffs were contested in court by several education and labor groups.
McMahon called the ruling “a significant win for students and families.”
“The U.S. Department of Education will now deliver on its mandate to restore excellence in American education,” McMahon added. “We will carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most—to students, parents, and teachers.”
One of the plaintiffs in the case, the American Federation of Teachers, said the ruling was “a significant blow to public education.”
“This unlawful plan will immediately and irreparably harm students, educators and communities across our nation,” the union’s president, Randi Weingarten, said in a statement. “Children will be among those hurt the most by this decision.”
