The Department of Education temporarily closed all its offices in the Washington, D.C., area for ‘security’ reasons amid reports it is slashing half its workforce in cuts driven by Elon Musk’s DOGE.
Offices closed at 6PM on Tuesday, according to a notice to employees sent by James Hairfield, from the office of security, facilities and logistics at the department.
The email notified all workers to bring their work laptops from the office and work from home starting Wednesday, March 12.
‘Employees will not be permitted in any ED facility on Wednesday, March 12 for any reason,’ the email read.
A Department of Education spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Sources familiar with the upcoming action by Education Department officials have previewed to Fox News a ‘reduction in force’ notice set for Tuesday, where nearly half of all staff is expected to be terminated.
President Donald Trump campaigned on the idea of closing down the Department of Education, and redirecting most of the funding to the states.
He appointed former CEO of the WWE Linda McMahon as the department secretary.
Linda McMahon, President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Education
The US Department of Education in Washington, DC,
Civil servants and supporters of the Department of Education rally outside the department in Washington, DC
‘Linda, I hope you do a great job and put yourself out of a job,’ Trump recalled telling her, when he selected her for the position.
The Department of Education currently employs over 4,000 employees and has a budget of $80 billion.
The most significant function handled by the department is student loans, which could be shifted to the Treasury Department.
McMahon previewed Friday that Trump would move forward with an executive order to dismantle the department.
‘I think he certainly intends to sign the order, and we’ve talked about it. He’s made it crystal clear since the time he was running for president that this is his intent,’ McMahon told Fox & Friends in an interview.
On Friday, McMahon also said she would continue to work with Congress to make sure students would still receive student loan assistance.
‘This is not a turn off the lights and walk out of the department,’ she told NewsNation in an interview. ‘It’s in close consultation with Congress and looking at how the needs of students can best be serviced.’
