Trump's plan to dismantle the Department of Education is back on, the Supreme Court says. Here's what that means.
On Monday, the Supreme Court said that Trump's administration can move forward with its plan to terminate over 1,300 of the Department of Education's employees. Prior to the terminations, the department had 4,133 workers on staff. After the department announced in March that it planned to slash half of its workforce, a federal judge in May blocked those plans from moving forward indefinitely.
The Supreme Court's Monday ruling temporarily suspends that federal judge's block while the legal process plays out. The three liberal judges dissented.
"Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies," Linda McMahon, Trump's education secretary, said in a statement.
"While today's ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution," she continued.
Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote in her dissent that the decision expedites "lawlessness" in the executive branch.
"The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive, but either way the threat to our Constitution's separation of powers is grave," Sotomayor said.
Here's what this ruling means for the future of the Department of Education.
What dismantling ED would mean for student-loan borrowers and schools
McMahon has repeatedly acknowledged that, despite Trump's order to eliminate the department, closing a federal agency cannot be done without approval from Congress.
The federal judge who blocked the department's reduction efforts in May wrote in his ruling that there isn't any evidence to suggest the administration's intent to work with Congress.
"Not only is there no evidence that Defendants are pursuing a 'legislative goal' or otherwise working with Congress to reach a resolution, but there is also no evidence that the RIF has actually made the Department more efficient," the ruling said, referring to worker firings, officially called reduction-in-force. "Rather, the record is replete with evidence of the opposite."
The department primarily facilitates federal funding and research and manages a trillion-dollar student-loan portfolio. Cuts to department staff would make managing those programs more difficult, education analysts previously said, and many programs relying on grants and student aid would likely see more extensive delays and paperwork processing backlogs.
While Trump suggested in March that he wanted to transfer student loans to another federal agency, it's unclear how quickly the administration is working to make that happen, if at all.
Trump also cut $900 million in research contracts in February, and education experts previously told Business Insider that the cuts are putting future data collection — including the ability to track kids' progress in science and reading — at risk.
Sheria Smith, president of the American Federation of Government Employees local chapter representing Department of Education workers, said in a statement that the ruling "is playing with the futures of millions of Americans, and after just four months, the consequences are already evident across our education system."
"It's deeply disappointing that the Supreme Court is upholding this extreme, anti-democratic agenda, despite this administration's clear obstruction of civil rights and its misalignment with the Constitution," Smith said.
In her statement, McMahon said that workforce reductions will now proceed "to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most — to students, parents, and teachers."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Epstein fallout latest: Trump threatens to sue WSJ and orders release of grand jury testimony
Amid the fallout over his handling of the investigation into Jeffrey Epstein, President Trump is now saying that he has directed Attorney General Pam Bondi to unseal grand jury testimony in the late accused sex trafficker's criminal case. 'Based on the ridiculous amount of publicity given to Jeffrey Epstein, I have asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to produce any and all pertinent Grand Jury testimony, subject to Court approval,' Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Thursday. 'This SCAM, perpetuated by the Democrats, should end, right now!' It's unclear whether a judge would approve such a request or if the release of that material would appease Trump supporters demanding to see all of the files the government has on Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody awaiting trial. The post came less than an hour after Trump vowed to sue the Wall Street Journal over a report that he sent Epstein a racy birthday letter in 2003. In a separate Truth Social post, the president said that he personally warned the newspaper's owner, Rupert Murdoch, and its editor, Emma Tucker, that the letter was 'FAKE' before the report was published and called the story 'false, malicious, and defamatory.' What did the WSJ report say? According to the Journal, Trump's letter, along with dozens of others, was part of a leather-bound book put together by Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell for the disgraced financier's 50th birthday. 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,' Trump's letter concluded in a typewritten message to Epstein, per the Journal. The text was 'framed by the outline of a naked woman, which appears to be hand-drawn with heavy marker,' the report stated. 'A pair of small arcs denotes the woman's breasts, and the future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair.' The president responded in another Truth Social post after the Journal's story was published. "These are not my words, not the way I talk,' Trump wrote. 'Also, I don't draw pictures." How did we get here? Epstein has long been the focus of unfounded conspiracy theories, pushed by some of Trump's prominent supporters, which claim the late financier was murdered to conceal the names of powerful people on a secret 'client list.' During the 2024 campaign, Trump said he would consider releasing additional government files on Epstein. And when Trump took office earlier this year, he directed the Justice Department to conduct an exhaustive review of the evidence collected on Epstein. Appearing on Fox News in February, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Epstein client list was 'sitting on my desk right now to review.' 'That's been a directive by President Trump,' she added. But last week, the DOJ and FBI released a two-page joint memo, concluding Epstein 'committed suicide in his cell' and had no 'client list.' What was the reaction to the memo? The memo angered some high-profile MAGA loyalists — including Tucker Carlson, former senior White House adviser Steve Bannon, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and far-right provocateur Laura Loomer — and led to a reported rift between Bondi and high-ranking FBI officials. Last weekend, Trump released a lengthy statement expressing his frustration over the Epstein saga. 'We're on one Team, MAGA, and I don't like what's happening,' Trump wrote on Truth Social. 'We have a PERFECT Administration, THE TALK OF THE WORLD, and 'selfish people' are trying to hurt it, all over a guy who never dies, Jeffrey Epstein. For years, it's Epstein, over and over again. 'One year ago our Country was DEAD, now it's the 'HOTTEST' Country anywhere in the World,' he added. 'Let's keep it that way, and not waste Time and Energy on Jeffrey Epstein, somebody that nobody cares about.' Then on Wednesday, Trump lashed out at his supporters while repeatedly referring to the case as 'the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.' 'My PAST supporters have bought into this 'bullshit,' hook, line, and sinker,' the president fumed in a Truth Social post. 'All these people want to talk about, with strong prodding by the Fake News and the success starved Dems, is the Jeffrey Epstein Hoax.' What has Trump said about his relationship with Epstein? The Journal report also put a spotlight on the president's past relationship with Epstein. 'I've known Jeff for 15 years,' Trump told New York Magazine for a 2002 profile of Epstein. 'Terrific guy. He's a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.' In 2019, after Epstein was arrested on federal sex trafficking charges, the president distanced himself, saying he was 'not a fan.' 'Well, I knew him like everybody in Palm Beach knew him,' Trump told reporters following Epstein's arrest. 'I mean, people in Palm Beach knew him. He was a fixture in Palm Beach. I had a falling out with him a long time ago. I don't think I've spoken to him for 15 years. I wasn't a fan."
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Donald Trump's tariffs are pulling in billions, but is it really a win?
Data rolling in on the collection of tariffs by the United States suggests the trade war initiated by President Donald Trump is already generating significant revenue for the U.S. Treasury. More than US$26.6 billion was brought in for June, nearly quadruple the US$7.3 billion raised in January. More than US$108 billion has been collected in the first nine months of fiscal 2025, nearly double the total raised at this point a year earlier. The increase in tariff revenue began to spike in April when customs duties (after any refunds) hit US$15.6 billion. By May, the haul had jumped to US$22.2 billion. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has said the tariffs — as low as 10 per cent for some countries and at least 50 per cent for China and some Canadian imports such as steel and aluminum — are on track to pull in US$300 billion. It's a sizeable haul for a president who has faced criticism for on-again, off-again tariff threats that earned the nickname TACO — short for Trump Always Chickens Out. While the tariff data so far is being heralded by the Trump administration as a win, policy and trade observers aren't as sure it signals a long-term victory. 'On balance, I would expect tariff revenue to be higher in the short run than out in the medium to long run,' said Marc-André Pigeon, an assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan's graduate school of public policy. Recession risk He said a number of things could cause a drag on the increased revenue, some desirable to the Trump administration and others not. More re-shoring of industry, which the administration wants, would cause the figures to drop. On the negative side of the ledger, so would an economic downturn, which some economists are predicting as a result of the trade policies, and a stronger U.S. dollar relative to other countries' currencies. Several countries including Canada are in the midst of talks aimed at securing more favourable trade terms that would offset the tariffs imposed on them. If successful, it would mean lower revenue for the U.S. government over time, but there is no assurance Trump will yield. Prime minister Mark Carney told reporters this week that securing a trade deal with the U.S. without some tariffs is unlikely. Teresa Cyrus, an associate professor and chair of the Department of economics at Dalhousie University in Halifax, suggested the US$300 billion tariff haul Bessent is touting for the year may not bode well for further deals with Trump. 'Perhaps Bessent is hinting that trade deals are unlikely?' she said in an email. Global trade shuffle In the past, sustained steep tariffs have not come without upheaval in trading partners and supply chains as countries seek alternatives trading partners and buyers turn to jurisdictions where they can pay the least for supplies — and that, too, could have an impact on U.S. tariff-based revenue. William Pellerin, a partner in the international trade group at law firm McMillan LLP, said some of that is already happening. 'We expect that many global companies will (look) for ways to get their products from countries with the lowest tariffs,' he said. 'This kind of supply chain reshuffling is already happening in Canada, and we believe it will happen even more in the United States.' A major plank in Trump's tariff campaign, which was unleashed almost immediately after he took office in January, was to bring industry and manufacturing back to the United States. But it was also pitched as a way to bolster U.S. government revenues to help pay for tax cuts in a major piece of legislation he dubbed 'one big beautiful bill.' The latest estimate from the Congressional Budget Office is that the legislation, which was signed by Trump and became law on July 4, will increase deficits by $3.4 trillion over the 2025 to 2034 period. Robert Wolfe, a professor emeritus at Queens University, whose research focus is global trade, said the tariffs suggests an 'incoherence' in longterm policy goals, despite the positive early data. 'Either tariffs are a source of revenue, or they are a means to protect American industry — beyond the short term they can't be both,' he said. 'If imports decline in response (to) the tax, so will revenues.' • Email: bshecter@ Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Onion
29 minutes ago
- The Onion
Nation Boards Up Windows, Retreats To Cellar As Lena Dunham Reenters News Cycle
WASHINGTON—Springing into action to save what it could, the U.S. populace reportedly got to work this week boarding up windows and retreating to its cellars moments after learning Lena Dunham had reentered the news cycle. 'Dear God, the day has finally come,' said Tulsa, OK, resident Amanda Pendleton, just one of the millions of Americans across the country who shoved whatever shelf-stable foods they could grab into their children's arms and rushed to the stables to free the horses, hoping they would have a fighting chance against the emotionally raw, Dunham-centered onslaught headed straight their way. 'That's plenty of plywood on the door. Come on, kids, it's time. Grab any weapons you can find and get downstairs. Don't worry about Grandma. It's too late to save her.' At press time, source confirmed the nation had placed cyanide tablets between its teeth in preparation for the terrible event and bitten down the moment the discourse arrived.
