The Department of Education is implementing mass layoffs just days after President\u00a0Donald Trump<\/a>\u00a0suggested the agency should not handle student loans.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, March 11, the Department of Education announced plans to\u00a0lay off 1,300 employees<\/a>, \u201cimpacting nearly 50% of the Department\u2019s workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n Secretary of Education Linda McMahon called the move \u201ca significant step toward restoring the greatness of the United States education system.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cToday\u2019s reduction in force reflects the Department of Education\u2019s commitment to efficiency, accountability, and ensuring that resources are directed where they matter most: to students, parents, and teachers,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n Critics have denounced the decision. Sen. Patty Murphy, a Democrat from Washington, claimed\u00a0in a statement<\/a>\u00a0that Trump and his allies are \u201crobbing our students and teachers of the resources and support they need, so that Republicans can pay for more massive tax cuts for billionaires.\u201d<\/p>\n In a separate statement, Sen. Tammy Duckworth, a Democrat from Illinois, said that a “chainsaw” has been taken to the department’s workforce, allowing Trump and\u00a0Elon Musk<\/a>\u00a0to jeopardize “critical support for teachers, loan assistance for student borrowers and the promise of a quality education for our kids\u2014especially those with disabilities and those living in low-income areas.”<\/p>\n If the Department of Education is eliminated, another agency would be tasked with taking over the handling of federal student loans. In addition to the SBA, the Treasury and Commerce departments have also been floated as agencies that could possibly take on the responsibility.<\/p>\n \u201cFor a lot of the student loan repayment plans, you need income verification,\u201d said Andrew Gillen, research fellow at the Cato Institute for Economic Freedom,\u00a0USA Today<\/a>\u00a0<\/em>reported. “<\/em>Treasury already has that. So just from an administrative perspective, Treasury already has a lot of information that is necessary to implement the student loan programs.\u201d<\/p>\n But the agency’s closure would likely “create chaos” among borrowers, said Michele Shepard Zampini, senior director of college affordability at The Institute For College Access and Success, to\u00a0CNBC<\/a>. She pointed out that new and current students dependent on financial aid would experience delays.<\/p>\n Mark Kantrowitz, a higher education expert, also told the outlet that federal student aid might not be available “for weeks or longer” if the department is eliminated. \u201cDisruption is bad, very bad,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The move comes five days after Trump, 78, told reporters in the Oval Office that he had discussed moving the Federal Student Aid office to another agency, such as the Small Business Administration.<\/p>\n The Education Department oversees more than $1.6 trillion in federal student loan debt held by nearly 43 million people, or one in six American adults, according to the\u00a0Congressional Research Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think the Education [Department] should be handling the loans,\u201d Trump said on Thursday, March 6. \u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0not their business<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump has also suggested his administration could eliminate the department as a whole, telling reporters in February that the department was \u201ca big con job\u201d and that he would \u201clike to close it immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n At her confirmation hearing in February, McMahon said closing the department \u201ccertainly does require congressional action.\u201d Still, she insinuated that changes would be made.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019d like to make sure that we are presenting a plan that I think our senators could get on board with, and our Congress could get on board with, that would have a better functioning Department of Education,\u201d she told senators, the\u00a0Associated Press<\/a>\u00a0reported.<\/p>\n Never miss a story \u2014 sign up for\u00a0PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter<\/a>\u00a0to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.<\/strong><\/p>\n The president is planning to sign an order instructing McMahon to begin dismantling the department, according to\u00a0CNN<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0The New York Times<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/B8sk6lVf9QjLLh0uva57umuifW4=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/us-department-of-education-031225-1-de50e3f07fea4dcaacb92c3d4acaa070.jpg\")
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<\/div>\n<\/div>![\"Linda](\"https:\/\/people.com\/thmb\/5m6L9G6b25Tk4Z9rI6wPIXcVpoY=\/4000x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2):format(webp)\/linda-mcmahon-fox-friends-031225-1-451b746b227c4e0ea3afaaaece2a99d7.jpg\")
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