(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - National AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler released the following statement after President Trump signed an Executive Order that dismantled the U.S. Department of Education:

Shuttering the Department of Education is a radical plan, ripped from the pages of Project 2025, that will close the doors of opportunity for America’s students. Without the Department of Education, Working People will have one more hurdle to access the financial aid they need to go to college or pursue a Trade. Kids from Working Class Families - especially kids with disabilities - will be left behind, unable to access the education they need to succeed. States, cities and towns will be forced to stretch their already tight budgets to cover the loss in Federal funding, jeopardizing essential programs and putting good Union jobs our communities rely upon at risk. None of this makes sense for America’s Working Families. We stand with our affiliated Unions as they challenge this illegal DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) order in court - and with every student, parent, Educator and Worker fighting for the universal, quality public education that Americans care so deeply about. 

American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten was short and to the point, issuing the following statement to Trump’s attempt to eliminate the Federal role in education - a move that most people in America don’t want because it will diminish opportunity for students: “See you in court.” 

(For More On This Labor News Report, Go To: Trump’s Presidency And Student Loans: Today’s Education Department Announcement Explained)

Meanwhile, the AFT has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Education after it ordered Student Loan Servicers to stop processing applications for affordable student loan repayment plans.

At the end of February, Federal Officials eliminated access to Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) Plans - which give millions of Working People the right to pay what they can afford on these loans to avoid defaulting - by removing the application from the Education Department website.

These IDR Plans are also the sole way for Public Service Workers like Teachers, Nurses and others to benefit from Public Service Loan Forgiveness.

Weingarten said: “By effectively freezing the Nation’s Student Loan System, the new Administration seems intent on making life harder for Working People, including for millions of borrowers who have taken on student debt so they can go to college. The AFT has fought tirelessly to make college more affordable by limiting student debt for Public Service Workers and countless others - progress that’s now in jeopardy because of this illegal and immoral decision to deny borrowers their rights under the law. We’re suing to restore access to the statutory programs that are an anchor for so many and that cannot be simply stripped away by executive fiat.”

To Directly Access This Labor News Story, Go To: AFT Sues U.S. Department of Education, Demands Justice for Student Loan Borrowers Blocked from Affordable Loan Payments | American Federation of Teachers