This potential move would be one of the most important steps yet in President Trump’s effort to reduce the influence of the Education Department.
Ministry of Education abolishes special education department due to staff cuts
The DOE has reportedly laid off nearly all employees in the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services.
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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Education is in the early stages of hiring another agency to help oversee federal special education programs, a spokesperson said.
The possibility of a blame shift comes after the Department of Education laid off nearly the entire special education department more than a week ago.
The impending move would be one of the most significant steps yet in President Donald Trump’s effort to reduce the influence of the Education Department. And for families of students with disabilities, it raises a host of new questions about whether a major overhaul at the federal level could have an impact.
It also highlights how recent court decisions and slight Republican pushback have emboldened the Trump administration to functionally dismantle the Department of Education, despite legal oversight of the White House’s authority.
A few months ago, the administration was temporarily prohibited from subcontracting the Department of Education’s career and technical education programs to the federal Department of Labor. The Supreme Court lifted that moratorium in July, but litigation over the initiative continues to progress.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon has publicly suggested that oversight and management of billions of dollars in federal funding for special education programs could be “better handled” by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
The agency is run by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., one of the most polarizing figures in Trump’s cabinet. President Kennedy has been criticized for being skeptical of vaccines and repeatedly making unsubstantiated claims about the cause of autism.
In a statement to USA TODAY on Tuesday, Maddie Biederman, the Education Department’s assistant secretary for communications, confirmed that the department is considering outsourcing responsibilities related to special education. She did not specifically name other agencies involved in the effort.
“Secretary McMahon has made it very clear that his goal is to close down the Department of Education, move education back to the states, and eliminate jobs.” “The Department is exploring additional partnerships with federal agencies to support special education programs without disrupting or impacting students with disabilities, but no agreements have been signed.”
Biedermann added that McMahon is “committed to protecting the flow of federal funding that supports our nation’s students with disabilities.”
The White House has laid off about one-fifth of the Education Department’s workforce starting October 10, as it ramps up pressure on Congressional Democrats to end the ongoing government shutdown. The layoffs include more than 120 employees in the special education department and nearly 140 employees in the Office of Civil Rights, which primarily investigates disability-related complaints in schools, according to a government declaration in court documents.
Thousands of other layoffs across the federal workforce were temporarily halted by a judge last week.
Zachary Schermele is a Congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
