Washington, D.C. — As the federal government shutdown continues, a new analysis from the Center for American Progress finds that the Trump administration is using the crisis to illegally lay off hundreds of employees at the U.S. Department of Education, threatening decades of progress for disabled children and students.
According to CAP’s analysis, more than 400 Education Department employees were laid off on October 10, 2025, including 121 from the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. With only a handful of staff remaining, the administration has effectively hollowed out the federal programs responsible for implementing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and enforcing students’ civil rights under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
“The Trump administration is deliberately dismantling the education system that millions of disabled students and children depend on,” said Mia Ives-Rublee, senior director for the Disability Justice Initiative at CAP and co-author of the analysis. “By laying off staff who protect and serve disabled students, this administration is making it harder for disabled people to learn, work, and thrive.”
The analysis highlights how the layoffs are part of a broader pattern of attacks on disability programs and services, including through policy changes and proposed budget cuts to the Department of Education:
- Mass layoffs of special education staff: Only a few employees now remain in the Office of Special Education Programs, which monitors states’ compliance with IDEA and provides technical assistance to millions of families.
- Collapse of civil rights enforcement: The Office for Civil Rights has lost more than half its staff since March 2025. With only 120 employees left to manage nearly 23,000 cases, investigations into disability discrimination are being delayed or dismissed at record levels.
- Funding and service cuts: The White House proposed block granting IDEA service funds with other program funding and removing all federal oversight.
- Weakened protections: The administration has proposed removing data collection requirements that identify racial and disability disparities in school discipline and has floated moving special education oversight out of the Department of Education entirely.
CAP’s analysis underscores that the Trump administration’s education and budget policies are part of a coordinated campaign to roll back civil rights and disability protections, using every opportunity, including the shutdown, as cover to accelerate its long-standing agenda.
Read the full analysis: “The Trump Administration’s Recent Special Education Layoffs Will Have Major Long-Term Impacts on Disabled Children and Students” by Mia Ives-Rublee and Casey Doherty.
For more information or to speak with an expert, contact Christian Unkenholz at [email protected].