The lay-offs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by Donald Trump. (Pool via AP)
In short:
The United States Department of Education has revealed its plans to lay off nearly half of its staff.
These lay-offs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by US President Donald Trump, led by the Department of Government Efficiency.
All US government agencies have been ordered to come up with large-scale lay-off plans by Thursday.
The United States Department of Education has revealed its plans to lay off nearly half of its staff, as President Donald Trump continues his mission to slash federal spending.
The department said the terminations are part of its "final mission," alluding to Mr Trump's vow to eliminate the agency.
These lay-offs would leave the department with 2,183 workers, down from 4,133 when Mr Trump took office in January, raising questions about the agency's ability to continue usual operations.
When asked on Fox News whether the firings would lead to the department's dismantling, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said yes.
She added that this "was the president's mandate".
Before announcing the lay-offs, the agency also ordered offices in the Washington area to close to staff from Tuesday evening to Wednesday, according to an internal notice.
Education lay-offs part of downsizing
Mr Trump campaigned on a promise to close the department and had said it had been overtaken by "radicals, zealots and Marxists".
These lay-offs are part of a dramatic downsizing directed by Mr Trump, led by the world's richest person, Elon Musk, and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Elon Musk's DOGE agency explained
Photo shows Elon Musk standing behind a podium, raising his fists in the air and shouting.
Thousands of jobs are expected to be cut across the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and other agencies.
DOGE has cut more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian bureaucracy, frozen most foreign aid and cancelled thousands of programs and contracts.
It has been met with dozens of lawsuits challenging the legality of those moves.
DOGE's blunt-force approach has frustrated several White House officials and Republican politicians.
However, the education department was among the smallest cabinet-level agencies even before the lay-offs.
Its workforce included about 3,000 people in Washington and 1,000 at regional offices across the country, according to a department website.
Large-scale lay-off plans ordered
All US government agencies have been ordered to come up with large-scale lay-off plans by Thursday, setting up the next phase of the president's cost-cutting campaign.
Several agencies have offered employees payments to retire early to fulfil Mr Trump's demand.
DOGE has been met with dozens of lawsuits challenging the legality of those moves. (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)
The department said affected education department employees will be placed on administrative leave starting on March 21.
The union representing more than 2,800 department workers said it would fight the "draconian cuts".
"What is clear from the past weeks of mass firings, chaos, and unchecked unprofessionalism is that this regime has no respect for the thousands of workers who have dedicated their careers to serve their fellow Americans," American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 president Sheria Smith said.
What about other agencies?
Other agencies have offered lump-sum payments of up to $US25,000 ($39,700) before tax to workers who agree to leave their jobs.
Among these are the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Social Security Administration and the Department of Health and Human Services, including its Food and Drug Administration.
The buyout offers are being embraced as a lower-friction way to help meet the Thursday deadline, according to human resources specialists at several federal agencies.
Several agencies have offered lump-sum payments to workers who agree to leave their jobs, including the FDA. (AP: Jacquelyn Martin)
The General Services Administration, which manages the government's property portfolio, is also seeking approval to offer the buyout payments to workers, according to an email sent by its acting head to staff on Monday.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has already offered bonuses of up to $US50,000.
Human resources and public governance experts said the appeal of the buyout program is that it is voluntary and less vulnerable to legal challenges.
It also requires workers who have accepted the offer to repay the money if they take another government job within five years.
Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan, said if the strategy is to get "as many people out the door voluntarily," a buyout " reduces the risk of court orders and opposition".
DOGE has cut more than 100,000 jobs across the 2.3 million-member federal civilian bureaucracy. (Reuters: Elizabeth Frantz)
Only a couple of agencies have announced how many employees they plan to cut in the second phase of lay-offs.
These include the Department of Veterans Affairs, which is aiming to cut more than 80,000 workers, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is planning to cut 1,029 staff.
No agency has yet submitted its job-cutting plan to the government's human resources department OPM, despite the deadline nearing.
Reuters/AP