California and 19 other states plus Washington D.C. pushed back today against the Trump administration’s gutting of the Department of Education, saying the impact would be catastrophic for millions of K-12 and college students – especially students who are low-income or are in special education.
In a lawsuit, California Attorney General Rob Bonta and other Democratic attorneys general said President Donald Trump had no authority to dismantle the department, which was established by Congress in 1979. They’re asking a judge to require the federal government to bring back the 1,300 workers who were laid off this week.
“What’s so troubling here is that the reduction in force is so severe and so extreme that it incapacitates the department from performing statutory functions,” Bonta said during a press conference this morning. “Only Congress can make such drastic changes. Not the agency. Not the president.”