US: Trump Administration Pursues Education Department Abolition – Appeals to Supreme Court

The administration of the president has requested the Supreme Court to allow it to proceed with the abolition of the Department of Education, which would result in educational policy being entirely handed over to the States and local school boards. The Justice Department appealed to the Supreme Court to overturn the ruling by Boston judge Miong Jong who, on May 22, ordered the Donald Trump administration to reinstate employees who lost their jobs during mass layoffs and halt further actions towards closing the department. Established by an act of Congress in 1979, the Department oversees more than 100,000 public and 34,000 private schools in the U.S., despite 85% of public school funding coming from states and local governments. It provides federal grants for schools and special programs, including teacher salaries for students with special needs, funds arts programs, and replaces outdated infrastructure. Additionally, it manages $1.6 trillion in student loans for tens of thousands of Americans unable to afford college tuition. Closing the department has long been a goal of many conservative politicians in the U.S. General attorneys from 20 states and the District of Columbia, along with teachers’ unions and school districts, have sued to stop the Trump administration, arguing that the president usurped Congressional powers, violating the Constitution. On March 20, Trump signed an order to close the department, fulfilling a campaign promise to transfer educational policy authority to states and local councils. The following day, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced a plan for mass layoffs. When Trump assumed office in January, the department had 4,133 federal employees, whose number was set to decrease to 2,183 as part of this ‘final mission.’ However, Judge Jong ruled that the government must reinstate employees and not transfer special needs programs and student loans to other federal services. He rejected the Justice Department’s argument that layoffs aimed to make the department more efficient, instead concluding they were an attempt to shut down the department without necessary Congressional approval. ‘This court cannot turn a blind eye while employees are continuously laid off and its services transferred elsewhere until it becomes an empty shell,’ Judge Jong stated. On June 4, the Boston Court of Appeals rejected Trump’s appeal to lift Judge Jong’s order.