The court overturns a lower court’s decision that said large staff cuts would effectively hamstring the education sector.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that President Donald Trump’s administration could move forward with plans to cut funds and resources for the Federal Department of Education.
A Conservative majority court ruled on Monday that the government could move forward with plans to fire nearly 1,400 employees as part of Trump’s push to effectively dismantle the department.
“Today’s ruling is an important victory for students and families, but it’s a shame the highest courts on the land had to intervene to advance reforms that President Trump chose him to submit to him using authorities recognized by the US Constitution.”
The ruling on Monday cancels an earlier order in relation to the administration’s efforts to fire around 1,400 workers in the education sector. This was US District Judge Myung Jung in May saying it would “highly likely to cripple the department.”
The US Court of Appeals agreed in its June 4th ruling that the cuts would “make statutory functions virtually impossible” including overseeing student loans and enforcing civil rights laws in US education.
Critics accused the Trump administration of working to effectively abolish federal agencies established and funded by Congress through its greatest interpretation of the administration.
Trump and his Republican allies portray federal agencies as conflict with their political agenda, and as a hotbed of left-wing ideology and bureaucratic excess.
The Trump administration also sought to impose greater control over US universities in search of a greater role in shaping the curriculum and threatening to withdraw federal funds if universities do not comply with government demands on issues such as cracking down on pro-Palestinian student activities.
In response to a court decision on Monday, the liberal legal group that helped challenge Trump’s efforts lamented that the ruling “has been a devastating blow to this country’s promise of public education for all children.”
