A federal judge has blocked the Trump administration from abolishing the Department of Education (ED).
President Donald Trump signed an executive order calling for the dismantling of the department in March. Judge Myong J. Joun, a Biden-appointed judge, granted a preliminary injunction Thursday against the department’s attempt to redistribute its duties to other agencies and lay off over 1,000 employees.
“For over 150 years, the federal government has played a crucial role in education,” the judge’s order reads. “The supporting declarations of former Department employees, educational institutions, unions, and educators paint a stark picture of the irreparable harm that will result from financial uncertainty and delay, impeded access to vital knowledge on which students and educators rely, and loss of essential services for America’s most vulnerable student populations.”
The judge argued that the mass layoffs from the department have made it “effectively impossible” to operate properly.
“Once again, a far-left Judge has dramatically overstepped his authority, based on a complaint from biased plaintiffs, and issued an injunction against the obviously lawful efforts to make the Department of Education more efficient and functional for the American people,” Madi Biedermann, deputy assistant secretary for communications at ED, told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “President Trump and the Senate-confirmed Secretary of Education clearly have the authority to make decisions about agency reorganization efforts, not an unelected Judge with a political axe to grind. This ruling is not in the best interest of American students or families. We will immediately challenge this on an emergency basis.”
Shortly after signing the order, the president announced ED will no longer oversee student loan management, instead transferring that duty to the Small Business Administration (SBA). Special needs and nutrition programs were also moved to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Several states filed a lawsuit against Secretary of Education Linda McMahon in March over the department’s decision to cut nearly half of its staff.
The White House did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include a comment from an ED spokesperson.
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