Trump's DOE Secretary Claims Firing Half The Department Won't Take Education Away From Kids: 'We'll See Our Scores Go Up'

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said the Trump administration's drive to shut down the department will actually lead to increased scores.

Speaking to Fox News' Laura Ingraham, McMahon said that Trump is "taking the bureaucracy out of education so more money flows to states."

"Better education is closest to the kids, with parents, with local superintendents, with local school boards," said McMahon, who added that scores will go up as "we can educate them with parental input as well."

McMahon defended the Trump administration's intentions as it carries out massive layoffs at the department. The education department announced the layoffs Tuesday, saying the latest cuts will affect "nearly 50% of the department's workforce" and should be the first significant step "toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system."

According to the department, there were roughly 4,133 employees when U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated. Following Tuesday's layoffs, the workforce stood at around 2,183.

The cuts included nearly 600 personnel who accepted a buyout offer over the last seven weeks. Over 300 of them accepted the voluntary separation incentive payment promoted by the president himself.

Department officials also revealed that the leases on buildings across several cities will be terminated as part of the downsizing efforts pushed by Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

In another passage of the interview, McMahon said the layoffs were the "first step of eliminating what I think is bureaucratic bloat." "We wanted to make sure that we kept all of the right people and the good people to make sure that the outward-facing programs ... the grants, the appropriations that come from Congress, all of that are being met, and none of that's going to fall through the cracks," she added.

Effectively shutting down the Department of Education needs Congress' approval. 60 senators need to support the measure to avoid a filibuster. However, advocates have already anticipated their intention to defend the department in court.