Mass layoffs at the temporarily shuttered Department of Education sent shockwaves through Washington D.C., but they could foretell even bigger things to come.
“Many of them don’t work at all,” President Donald Trump said of the 1,315 Education Department employees who got pink slips Tuesday evening. “We’re keeping the best ones.”
That same pattern could hold for other agencies after the Department of Education’s workforce was effectively cut in half. Trump repeated some of his campaign rhetoric by claiming, “They’re not showing up to work” and “not doing a good job.”
The Education Department closed for the entirety of Wednesday, with officials citing security reasons, and will reopen Thursday with a greatly reduced headcount. Employees who will be let go will telework before receiving 90 days of severance pay plus additional compensated time depending on…
