A coalition of Democratic-led states is challenging the Trump administration’s sweeping layoffs across the Education Department, saying it amounts to an illegal dismantling of an agency created by Congress.
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In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday in Massachusetts, 20 states and Washington, D.C., say the layoffs are so severe that the department “can no longer function, and cannot comply with its statutory requirements.”
“I’ll say it as often as I have to: Donald Trump is not a king and I will not let him be a dictator," said Minnesota's Attorney General Keith Ellison, who is joining the suit. "He does not have the authority to effectively shut down an entire federal department that is authorized by Congress, and his attempt to do so is illegal and unconstitutional. I’m joining my fellow attorneys general to hold him accountable and to protect the tens of millions of American students — not to mention their families and their teachers, administrators, and paraprofessionals — who rely on the Department for high-quality education and the support they need to succeed in school."
It alleges the cuts will result in a loss or delay of federal money for public schools, and will leave the agency unable to administer college financial aid or enforce civil rights laws at schools, among other disruptions.
A department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The department has insisted previously it will continue to deliver on its statutory obligations, despite the cuts.
"The bottom line is these are not carefully crafted reductions in force, thought out," Ellison tells WCCO Radio. "They're just a big fat meat cleaver chopping off half the workforce."
Some Education Department employees have left through buyout offers and the termination of probationary employees. After a layoff of 1,300 people announced Tuesday, the department will sit at roughly half the 4,100 it had when President Donald Trump took office.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants the agency shut down, calling it wasteful and overly influenced by liberal thinking.
“When our children succeed, we all succeed," Attorney General Ellison continued. "The fact that Donald Trump has launched yet another attack on our children is another proof point that the only people in America he’s delivering for are billionaires.”
The suit says only Congress has the power close the department or dismantle its core work.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the cuts will impair necessary services for students and families.
“This outrageous effort to leave students behind and deprive them of a quality education is reckless and illegal. Today I am taking action to stop the madness and protect our schools and the students who depend on them,” James said.
Joining Attorneys General Ellison and James in filing the lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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