The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

The agency cut nearly everyone who works to administer federal funding for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, one staffer said.

The U.S. Department of Education fired nearly everyone in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services in a wave of new layoffs that began Friday, according to the union representing the agency’s employees.

Without an official estimate from the agency, it wasn’t immediately clear how many people in the division were fired. Yet based on reports from staff and their managers, most employees below the leadership level were part of the workforce reduction, said Rachel Gittleman, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 252.

    • Plurrbear@lemmy.world
      8·
      2 days ago

      Same as before, having daddy pay for his degree(s)… we all know too well, if you have money you can pay for whatever no matter how dumb you are…

  • frunch@lemmy.world
    69·
    2 days ago

    I love how these assholes are firing people at unprecedented rates as a way of somehow punishing Democrats. The Ds refusal to let the current admin double everyone’s medical insurance costs means Rs start dismantling the government as punishment? That’s what the Rs want in the first place. They’re doing exactly what they want while blaming the Democrats for all the negative effects, as is tradition

    • TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
      20·
      2 days ago

      They’re doing exactly what they want while blaming the Democrats for all the negative effects, as is tradition

      They’re doing it because it works, alarmingly well. Sure, many Americans recognize that it’s all just a dishonest tactic, but not enough of us. Many Americans fall for the con, hook, line and sinker.

      • IronBird@lemmy.world
        11·
        2 days ago

        many americans are just tired of the game at this point, you know republicans are selfish lying scheming pieces of shit, so you can just assume they’re going to do the absolute worst things they can and plan accordingly.

        democrats…you have to do a dive into their entire life history to find out if/how badly they’re going to fuck you. where even the “good” ones like buttigieg will sell the country out in a heartbeat, like sure they’re not directly fucking you…but they’re definitely playing favorites.

        devil you know vs. the one you don’t

      • frunch@lemmy.world
        3·
        2 days ago

        From the article:

        In a Friday court filing, the Justice Department said more than 460 Education Department employees had been laid off, cutting roughly a fifth of the agency’s already-hamstrung workforce.

        The terminations, which have hit more than half a dozen federal agencies, are part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to pressure congressional Democrats to end the ongoing government shutdown. Nearly 90% of the Education Department is furloughed, too.

        Perhaps i misinterpreted what it’s saying and it’s just regular, garden-variety destruction of government by the fascists?

  • skisnow@lemmy.caEnglish
    32·
    2 days ago

    Oh look, another parallel to Nazi Germany. I’ll just put it over here with the others…

    • Mog_fanatic@lemmy.world
      74·
      2 days ago

      This is nothing like nazi Germany. For one, there’s a whole ocean between Germany and the United States. For two, that was, like, a million years ago. So… Yeah.

      • Sundiata@lemmy.world
        2·
        2 days ago

        this won’t age well when teachers are hauled out of the classroom for insulting our dear leader.

          • BanMe@lemmy.world
            1·
            2 days ago

            Just don’t cause trouble and tell people you have an MBA, carry around a copy of the Fountainhead, you’ll pass.

  • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
    33·
    2 days ago

    Cool, Dems should now refuse to reopen the government until ACA subsidies are extended and all these people are hired back. Flinging shit around the room does not mean you have leverage in a negotiation, it just means you should get stuck with the cleaning bill when it’s all over.

  • panda_abyss@lemmy.ca
    26·
    2 days ago

    Just because the government is shut down does not mean Trump can do more illegal layoffs.

    This makes no sense, they’re just making up rules at this point

  • moshankey@lemmy.world
    29·
    2 days ago

    I am so sad. That’s all I can think of right now. So happy to be retired from teaching. So scared for our kids.

  • DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works
    4·
    2 days ago

    Where I came from, they treat people with disabilities (particularly mentally challenged people) like absolute garbage and there’s rampant discrimination, now America is doing the same.

    Holy shit.

    So… Cooked…

  • peopleproblems@lemmy.world
    10·
    2 days ago

    I’m worried these means of carving up the government are going to get the Democrats to capitulate. They will blame Democrats for everything that gets carved anyway, that was always the plan.

    The regime needed to be starved of funds earlier this year. Second best time is now. If the supreme court allows the executive to allocate tarrifs as they want, then the branch still gets some means of funding - probably military and ICE.

    There is a flaw with their plan. Yes, we will all suffer greatly, but ever increasing tarrifs on imported goods will result in a decrease on imported goods regardless if they are made in America or not. This means that while they might have a good source of funds secured temporarily, the revenue generated is still bound by math. n * ( price of good * tarrif - price of good) = total revenue. As n approaches 0, revenue approaches 0, regardless if tarrifs grow infinitely.

    At some point, even the wealthiest Americans won’t be able to afford the imported good. If nothing is imported, no money is generated, and the executive has nothing to allocate.

    They’re definitely aware of this. Hence why they are doing everything they can do to guarantee a 2026 midterm gives them complete control of the house and Senate. They need regular funds back before they can no longer pay ICE and military. That’s coming here very soon.

  • barnaclebutt@lemmy.world
    6·
    2 days ago

    Weird. She clearly prospered from the special Ed program. Look how high of an office she achieved thinking that a guy named Al (or Alan) was going to help educate kids.

  • Gammelfisch@lemmy.world
    2·
    2 days ago

    The states will reduce their special education workforce too and I will have zero sympathy for the MAGA supporters who receive a “you’ve been shit canned” notice.