American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten said she was “spitting mad” over the staffing cuts at the Department of Education, describing it as an “evisceration by a thousand cuts.”
“So what it does is that it levels the playing field, so all kids can have opportunity, and that it was they are cutting, and when they cut half the people, it’s like evisceration by a thousand cuts,” Weingarten said, listing the Department of Education’s duties.
The Department of Education announced on Tuesday that it would be shrinking its workforce from around 4,133 to around 2,183 employees. Remaining workers impacted by the reductions will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21.
“I’m so mad, I’m spitting mad about this, because it’s hurting the people who can’t vote, children don’t vote! Let’s not take away their opportunity,” she continued.
Randi Weingarten told MSNBC that she was spitting mad about the attacks on the education department on Wednesday. (Screenshot/MSNBC)
“What they did yesterday was cowardly. Have the fight with the 65% of Americans who believe we need to have an education department,” she said earlier in the discussion. “Fact, education is done at the local level. State governments, state education departments, local school boards. That’s who does education. And we believe that and we want that. But this is what the federal Department of Education does. It’s the opportunity agent. It’s the equalizer.”
She said the department helps with providing children with reading specialists for certain disabilities, getting students occupational therapists, Pell grants, and more.
“I think every kid should have sports. I think every kid should have experiential learning, getting them the equipment to do that, I could go on and on,” she continued.
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She said that the department’s staffing cuts were not efficient, describing it as “evisceration.”
Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said her agency took the first steps Tuesday to eliminate “bureaucratic bloat” at the federal level and bring more power to the states during an interview on “The Ingraham Angle.”
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McMahon said the decision was part of the president’s mandate.
“His directive to me, clearly, is to shut down the Department of Education, which we know we’ll have to work with Congress, you know, to get that accomplished,” she said.
Fox News’ Ashley Carnahan and Aubrie Spady contributed to this report.