The Education Department began deep layoffs on March 11, 2025, as the Trump administration pushed to reduce the agency's footprint. AP, CNN, and Fox News all reported the cuts and the administration's broader goal of shrinking or remaking the department.
Coverage across the spectrum agreed that the layoffs hit a department already central to conservative plans for decentralizing education policy. The move immediately raised questions about student-aid administration, civil-rights enforcement, and how quickly core functions could be reduced.
Fox News emphasized the downsizing argument and the push to return authority to states, while AP and CNN focused more on disruption risk and the weakening of federal oversight.