The U.S. Department of Education laid off more than 1,300 staffers on Tuesday, representing nearly half of the agency’s workforce. The cuts are part of President Donald Trump’s plan to fully shutter the department that has, for the past four years, been at the center of seemingly endless cultural conflicts.
The President’s decision to close the agency once and for is being met with approval from many Alabama lawmakers on both the federal and state levels.
On a call with reporters Wednesday, U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville called the first round of cuts at the agency a “good start.”
“I’m on the Education Committee, and they let me know yesterday that Secretary McMahan was going to be laying off a lot of workers,” Tuberville (R-Auburn) said.
“I’ve been open about this. I’ve been in education all my life. I think the Department of Education needs to be completely shut down here in D.C. because every state has its own Department of Education. The only thing that the Department of Education is good for is some kind of woke indoctrination and helping teachers’ unions.”
“I’m for teachers first, administrators second. We gotta get more teachers in the classroom. We gotta start teaching reading, writing, math, history, science, the things that need to be taught. But we can’t do it here from Washington D.C. We need to send the money spent up here back to the states and let them educate our kids. It’s the biggest factor that we’ve got to get straight in our country if we’re going to get back to greatness, as President Trump says.”
Alabama Republican Party Chairman John Wahl is also in full support of closing down the Department of Education.
“This unnecessary agency has failed American students for far too long, and it’s time to shut it down,” Wahl said in a recent statement. “Our teachers are drowning in red tape and social agendas that prioritize federal control over quality education. The Republican Party believes in parental rights and supporting our local teachers. The federal government should return the money spent on this bloated, big-government bureaucracy to the states where it belongs.”
Wahl noted the party’s historic support for managing education on a state and local level.
“The power to shape the future of our children should rest with parents, teachers, and local school boards—not unelected bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. The federal Department of Education has imposed one-size-fits-all mandates that often fail to address the specific challenges and opportunities within our state. President Trump’s bold move to abolish this department is a significant step toward restoring local control and increasing the quality of education for our children.”
“It’s time to shut down the Federal Department of Education and put parents back in control of education.”
During his campaign to retake the Oval Office, President Trump made clear that if elected, he would greatly reduce or close the agency.
“I want to close up the Department of Education, move education back to the states,” Trump said in August 2024, per Fox News. “Of the 50 (states), I would bet that 35 would do great. And 15 of them, or, you know, 20 of them, will be as good as Norway. You know, Norway is considered great.”
Austen Shipley is the News Director for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten
