The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to reduce the size of the federal government, including the elimination of the Department of Education. The department said Thursday it will relocate from its headquarters in downtown Washington, D.C., according to The Washington Post.
The current headquarters, the Lyndon B. Johnson Department of Education Building, will be vacated, with the space expected to be reassigned to the Department of Energy, the Post added.
“We have made unprecedented progress in reducing the federal education footprint, and now we are pleased to give this building to an agency that will benefit far more from its space than the Department of Education,” said Ed Secretary Linda McMahon in a statement.
The Department of Education, established by Congress in 1979, cannot be eliminated without congressional approval. However, the administration of Donald Trump has significantly reduced the agency’s size and scope. Since Trump took office, the department’s workforce has been reduced by approximately half, reflecting broader efforts to scale back federal operations.
“Once again, the Trump administration is taking a strong step to reduce bureaucratic bloat and act as a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars,” House Education Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) said, per Politico. “President Trump and Secretary McMahon have been committed to right-sizing the Department so our education system serves students, not bureaucrats.”
The Education Dept. said Thursday that its current headquarters was approximately 70 percent vacant. Officials said relocating to another office in Washington, D.C., is expected to save about $4.8 million annually, with the move projected to be completed by August, reports noted.
The administration also said the Department of Energy’s James V. Forrestal Building is outdated, and relocating those operations to the Lyndon B. Johnson Department of Education Building would help reduce costs.
“One year ago, President Trump signed one of the most consequential executive orders of his presidency — to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” McMahon added in her statement.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright meanwhile said that “relocating to the LBJ building will deliver significant taxpayer savings and will ensure the Energy Department continues to deliver on its mission.”
A fact sheet noted that “the Trump Administration has secured the largest national education freedom expansion in history, empowered state education leaders with the flexibility to innovate, and broken up the education bureaucracy by partnering with agencies better positioned to manage critical programs.”
“The Trump Administration has successfully decreased the scope of the federal education bureaucracy, so much that the headquarters building is no longer needed,” the fact sheet said, adding that the Energy Dept. will save $350 million a year with the move. The sheet also noted that the Department of Education “has spent more than $3 trillion on the federal education bureaucracy since 1980 — with dismal results.”
Last summer, the Supreme Court granted President Trump a significant victory, approving mass layoffs at the Department of Education and enabling the administration to proceed with its plans to reestablish state control over schools.
In a brief, unsigned order, the justices paused a lower court ruling that had blocked Trump’s plan indefinitely. The lower court decision was put on hold while the case plays out, but it meant that the layoffs could begin immediately.
Within hours, the Department of Education dispatched termination notices to employees who had faced layoffs in April, only to have a judge reinstate them. CNN obtained one of the emails, which told employees they would officially be out of a job on August 1.
“The Department appreciates your service and recognizes the difficulty of the moment,” the notice read. “This RIF action is not a reflection upon your performance or conduct and is solely due to agency restructuring, as described in previous correspondence.” A copy of the Supreme Court’s order was attached.