A federal judge has intervened to halt the Trump administration's plans to terminate thousands of employees from the Department of Education.
This decision also prevents the implementation of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March, which instructed the Secretary of Education to take comprehensive measures to dismantle the department.
U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a ruling that blocks the administration from executing a reduction in force announced on March 11, as well as President Trump's March 20 executive order that called for "all necessary steps to facilitate the closure of the Department of Education."
Additionally, the March 21 directive to transfer federal student loan management to the Small Business Administration has been halted. According to The Post Millennial, Judge Joun's decision mandates the reinstatement of employees who had already been dismissed due to the reduction-in-force order.
The March 11 directive aimed to cut approximately 2,183 positions, representing nearly half of the department's 4,133 employees. "When combined with the 259 employees who accepted resignation as part of the 'Fork in the Road' initiative, as well as the 313 employees who accepted a 'Voluntary Separation Incentive Payment,' the Departments total numbers after the RIF is estimated at 1,950 employeesroughly a 50% reduction from the Departments 4,133 employees at the beginning of President Trumps second term," the directive stated.
Judge Joun, appointed by President Biden, remarked, "The record abundantly reveals that Defendants true intention is to effectively dismantle the Department without an authorizing statute. The idea that Defendants actions are merely a reorganization is plainly not true."
As developments unfold, the implications of this judicial intervention on the administration's broader agenda remain to be seen. The decision underscores the ongoing tensions between the judiciary and executive branches over the scope of presidential authority.
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