WASHINGTON, D.C.: Employees of the Education Department received an email on Friday offering buyouts ahead of what has been described as “very significant” layoffs. The email, sent to all department staff, proposed a one-time taxable payment of up to $25,000 for those who applied to retire or resign by Monday’s deadline.
However, not all employees who opt for the buyout will receive the full $25,000 payout. According to the memo, the amount will be whichever is lower between severance pay and the maximum buyout offer. To qualify, employees must have served in the federal government for at least three consecutive years. Those who received student loan repayment benefits in the past three years, as well as those granted relocation, recruitment, or retention bonuses, will be disqualified, as per USA Today.
Why is this happening?
The layoffs come amid the Trump administration’s push to shrink the federal workforce. Even before taking office, Donald Trump had expressed his desire to dismantle the Education Department (DOE), recently calling it a “big con job.”
During the swearing-in ceremony of Tulsi Gabbard as Director of National Intelligence, Trump unexpectedly criticized the DOE, labeling it a wasteful bureaucracy. He has argued that education should be fully regulated by states, pointing to New York’s county-based governance as a possible model.
Trump also compared the U.S. education system to China, which consistently ranks among the top five globally, portraying the DOE as a symbol of federal inefficiency. His administration has already frozen federal education funding, with growing momentum behind efforts to dismantle the department altogether.Amid broader federal workforce reductions, Trump has reaffirmed his stance, declaring he wants the Education Department to be “closed immediately,” as reported by USA Today.
