On March 10, the Trump administration carried out sweeping layoffs at the Department of Education (DOE), cutting nearly half of its workforce. The loss of over 1,300 employees had immediate consequences: offices overseeing vital federal aid and policy enforcements were left crippled, raising concerns about how this will impact the students and schools who depend on their support. The move is part of a broader effort to shrink the federal government and curb spending, with long-term plans reportedly aimed at dismantling the DOE entirely. With the ramifications of this decision impacting students and educational institutions, the future for higher education remains uncertain; these layoffs threaten the stability of vital programs, undermine access to federal support, and limit the government’s control over enforcing education policy according to critics.
Several key offices within the DOE have been severely weakened by these layoffs. The Office of Federal Student Aid has lost crucial personnel, limiting its capacity to oversee student loan practices and manage the rollout of federal financial aid programs. The Office for Civil Rights—tasked with investigating complaints of harassment and discrimination in schools—has been cut down to just five regional offices, significantly reducing its national reach. Beyond these departments, essential staff responsible for distributing grants, implementing federal education programs, and providing customer service to students and families have also been drastically reduced, disrupting services that millions of students and educators rely on.
Trump saw the DOE as a wasteful organization punctuated by the high presence of liberal ideologies. In his order, he vowed to cut funding to schools and universities that promote “critical race theory and transgender ideologies.” Later in March, Trump sent “letters to 60 colleges and universities it says are under investigation for violations relating to alleged antisemitic harassment against Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests on campuses nationwide,” NPR reports. Most notably, Columbia University, a hub for pro-Palestinian protests last spring, had “$400 million in grants and contracts cut due to the adminstration’s claims of their inability to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.” The move has sparked fierce debate over free speech, academic freedom, and the politicization of federal education funding.
In his executive order, President Trump directed the education secretary to begin taking steps to dismantle the Department of Education and shift authority back to states and local governments, despite the DOE’s support of state education systems in improving national standards. While he cannot dissolve the department without congressional approval, his push has already drawn sharp criticism. Opponents warn that the move would disproportionately harm low-income students who depend on federal funding, grants, and support programs to aid them in higher education. With financial aid and work study programs at risk, Trump promised to preserve the Pell Grant program and redistribute it through other government agencies and departments. However, critics argue that shifting the program to other agencies would strip it of the oversight and coordination needed to ensure fair access to higher education— ultimately putting the students who rely on it most at greater risk.
As the Department of Education faces deep cuts and increasing political pressure, the future of higher education grows more uncertain—especially for students who depend on federal aid, grant programs, and policies to even attend the schools they go to. For many, these aren’t just support systems—they’re lifelines. Now, with the Trump administration targeting schools over their curriculum and campus climate, institutions are being forced to defend their principles in the face of political threats.
Harvard recently rejected the administration’s demands to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, change their admissions and hiring practices, and reduce the power of the administrators deemed “more committed to activism than scholarship”, writes CNN. This refusal led to the freezing of $2.2 billion “in multi-year grants and contracts.” The clash signals a growing divide between government power and academic independence, with students caught in the middle.
