Public sector unions are reporting sweeping layoffs in the U.S. Department of Education (ED) as the government shutdown passes the two-week mark.
The American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, a union representing more than 2,700 ED employees, said members were reporting significant layoffs of employees at the department over the weekend of Oct. 10–11.
The layoffs, if true, would “decimate many offices within the agency,” including the Office for Civil Rights, which investigates discrimination complaints in schools and universities, it said.
Per member reporting, “only the two most senior staff members remain in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and only one single staff member remains in the Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA).”
NASDSE referred to the information as “informal reports,” and state that while the ED has not publicly confirmed the layoffs, the union “believes the informal reports to be true.”
NTD reached out to the ED regarding the layoffs. In an automated reply, the department stated: “On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations, we are currently in furlough status. We will respond to emails once government functions resume.”
Only programs tied to “protection of life or property” or funded by mandatory or advance appropriations have continued.
The department’s contingency plan noted that Pell Grant and Direct Loan disbursements would continue, but new grant awards and research by the National Center for Education Statistics would be halted, with delays and backlogs expected once funding resumes.
According to the department’s Sept. 28 contingency memo, only a small fraction of ED employees are legally permitted to work during the shutdown.
Out of 1,700 staff in the main department, about 1,485 were furloughed; in the Office of Federal Student Aid, 632 of 747 were furloughed.
Only four employees are required to perform duties “expressly authorized by law,” while 48 in the department and 103 in Federal Student Aid are deemed necessary to carry out functions “necessarily implied by law.” In total, about 155 ED staff members remain on duty.
As the shutdown entered its 12th day, Vance said the reductions “are going to be painful,” following confirmation that about 4,100 federal employees received layoff notices on Oct. 10, with more expected if those in Congress fail to act.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
