The protesters, who are against Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, rallied in front of the Department of Education on Tuesday. They held an appreciation moment and gave applause to the federal agency that is believed to be the next one up for chopping.
Many of the protesters were former Education Department employees. They held up signs that read “Boycott Tesla!” “Elon don’t rob kids,” and “No DOGE No Kings.”
After the protest, Charles Gasparino posted on X that he had reviewed an email from education department officials telling employees they would have to vacate the agency’s offices by 6 p.m. Tuesday and that the offices would remain closed Wednesday.
The report also stated that employees have received multiple emails informing them about massive workforce cuts and the opportunity to take advantage of buyouts or severance.
The rally speakers called out the Trump Administration’s proposed cuts for the Department and demanded more funding. The organizers asked attendees to clap in support of federal employees inside the building at one stage.
According to a draft order, The Wall Street Journal reported that President Donald Trump will issue an executive order directing Education Sec. Linda McMahon “to take all necessary steps to facilitate closure of Education Department”, based “to the maximum extent permissible by law.”
According to the draft order, “the experiment in controlling American education by Federal dollars and programs- as well as the bureaucrats who are supported by these dollars and programs- have failed our children and teachers.”
Trump is a long-time critic of the Department of Education. He claims that it fails America’s children.
“It’s a big con job,” the president said in November. “They ranked the top countries in the world. We’re ranked No. 40, but we’re ranked No. 1 in one department, cost per pupil. So, we spend more per pupil than any other country in the world, but we’re ranked No. 40.”
The protesters, however, who were outside the Education Department Headquarters in Washington, D.C., alleged that dismantling this agency would “lead to families and children being hurt.”
This cut in funding goes against what we ought to be doing. “We should provide more federal funding to these services, and not less,” said a protester who is a former Education Department worker.
Her biggest concern was that DOGE cuts will make children “suffer”. This would also impact after-school programming such as English classes and special programs for immigrants’ children.
We’re going to go back to the early 1900s when English Learners couldn’t study English and special education kids didn’t receive services. “This is a scandal,” she declared.
One former federal worker at the rally said, “Seeing all of these laid-off employees right now breaks our hearts,” and that we “really have to speak out for what has been done to federal government.”
Rebecca Pringle of the National Education Association was one of those who spoke at the rally. She said that the Trump Administration does not possess the power to shut down the Education Department. To abolish the Education Department, 60 Senate votes would be needed. This requires the cooperation of Democrats.
Pringle said that her group will be organizing national walk-in demonstrations on March 19 to “hold Congress Members Accountable.”
Teachers across the country are saying no. “We will not sit back and watch as this administration gives tax breaks to billionaires, who already have more money. We know that our students are in need of more,” Pringle said.
Speaking directly to Trump and Musk, Katie Gates, an activist with the political activism group Voters of Tomorrow, said her message to the administration is, “Please stop. Just don’t do it.”
“You might think that you’re making government more efficient, or you’re getting rid of the deep state or whatever. But, like I said, this has far-ranging impacts on kids, on parents, on communities, on schools,” she said. “Sometimes efficiency isn’t the highest value. Sometimes, it’s support. Sometimes it’s learning.”