Education Department fires roughly half its workforce

Secretary Linda McMahon's Education Department fired more than 1,300 employees in one wave on March 11, 2025, while another 600 had accepted separation packages or were terminated during probationary periods. The cuts left the National Center for Education Statistics with just three staff, gutting federal capacity to collect K-12 data. The action prefigured the May FY2026 budget proposal to consolidate 18 K-12 programs and cut $4.5 billion.