“The President of the United States […] has the ultimate authority to make decisions about […] operations of federal agencies,” stated Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for President Trump to lay off nearly 1,400 Department of Education employees, marking a significant step in his administration’s goal of dismantling the agency and returning its functions to the states.
In a 6-3 decision split along ideological lines, the Court’s conservative majority granted an emergency stay on a lower court injunction that had blocked the layoffs. Since March, affected employees have been on paid leave, pending litigation. But with the high court’s green light, they now face formal termination.
The Trump administration, including Education Secretary Linda McMahon, hailed the ruling as a “major victory” for American families.
“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,” McMahon said in a statement.
Critics, including the plaintiffs from Massachusetts school districts, claim the move is an unconstitutional attempt to work around a matter of congressional authority. U.S. District Judge Myong Joun had previously ruled the layoffs likely violated federal law, warning they would “cripple” the department’s ability to enforce civil rights and manage programs Congress mandates.
Throughout his second term, Trump has consistently argued that the Education Department’s responsibilities can be better managed by other federal agencies or by individual states. The administration says it will shift student loan management to the Treasury Department and transfer other responsibilities to agencies like Labor, Health and Human Services, and Justice.
Amid Trump’s efforts to shrink DOE, several Democratic-led states, including Pennsylvania, are lashing out via a federal lawsuit challenging the freezing of federal education funds. The lawsuit claims the administration unlawfully withheld billions in congressionally approved funding for schools and programs that serve Keystone State students.
Pa. Gov. Josh Shapiro joined 22 other states in challenging the administration’s decision to withhold the federal dollars. While the governor framed the funding freeze as an attempt to “hurt students here in Pennsylvania,” proponents argue that the frozen dollars are another example of Trump nipping excessive federal spending in the bud.
Notably, Shapiro has drawn criticism for his willingness to increase taxpayer-funded spending. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the governor’s office increased its budget by 68% in Shapiro’s first two and a half years in office, and the governor suggested a further increase to $12 million for 2026.
Despite its recent moves to shrink the Education Department, in documents filed with the Supreme Court, the Trump administration emphasized that the reorganization is not equivalent to eliminating the Department of Education outright, which would require an act of Congress.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer argued that the administration’s “reduction in force” plan is lawful and falls within the president’s discretion to manage executive agencies. He also noted that many of the department’s functions would remain intact—just redistributed to other federal entities—ensuring continuity of services like student aid and civil rights enforcement.
