As the United States (USA) government shutdown approaches its third week, it is being reported that approximately 7,50,000 federal employees have been sacked. Meanwhile, the Education Department is currently facing another round of layoffs. 

According to the Associated Press, the department was already one of the hardest hit due to prior mass firings, and these latest cuts only worsened the situation. 

Students and schools across the country may feel the impact of these layoffs on special education, civil rights enforcement, and after-school programmes.

On Friday, October 10, the Trump administration started cutting off 466 Education Department employees. This will now decrease lower employment by approximately 20 per cent. 

The agency will now operate with fewer than half of the personnel it had when President Trump took office in January 2021. When Donald Trump took office, the department had around 4,100 workers. Following the new layoffs, the number will fall below 2,000. 

The department's size had already been reduced by half following earlier layoffs in March. Some employees, however, were rehired shortly thereafter.

The Trump administration is also reportedly planning to dismantle the department and delegate its functions to other agencies. 

Adult education and workforce programs were transferred to the Department of Labour over the summer, and discussions are ongoing to move the department’s USD 1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department.