John,

In the past, there has been bipartisan support for special education programs that serve millions of students with disabilities nationwide; now those programs are being decimated thanks to Donald Trump.

Last weekend, staff within the Special Education Programs and the Rehabilitative Services Administration―which make up the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services―were fired.¹ The agency enforces the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the law that funds special needs education programs by $15 billion per year and performs oversight to make sure those students’ needs are met.²

The illegal firings that are taking place during the shutdown are unconscionable. A federal court has ruled against these firings³, but as we know, there is no certainty about what a final judicial ruling will be. Congress must do everything in its power to stop these attacks on public education.

Send a message to Congress demanding they fight back against the administration’s illegal layoffs and protect public education, including special education.

The attacks on public education began as soon as Donald Trump took office for a second term. Earlier this year, we witnessed the decimation of the Department of Education―something proposed in Project 2025―when more than 2,000 employees were laid off, took buyouts, or retired early.⁴ Many of these employees left after the Department of Education received RIF (Reduction-In-Force, or lay-off) notices. Unfortunately, the administration has been relentless in its attacks on public education―basically, we have been in a “rolling shutdown” for months as they’ve gutted services for children and families and the federal workers who oversee funding and protect the rights of students. And, now that the shutdown is entering its third week, the Trump administration―led by Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought―is issuing even more RIFs and illegally firing workers.

The American Federation of Government Employees, which sued the Trump administration in court, has claimed that 20% of the Department of Education workforce has been RIFed during the shutdown.⁵ The Trump administration has said it will distribute special education funds to school systems, but firing all the workers who administer the program makes a mockery of that claim.

As NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria explains, “The Dept. of Ed fired nearly everyone who protects students with disabilities. As a parent & special ed teacher, I know what that means. Without oversight, who protects our kids when systems fail?”⁶

The future of our country depends on strong public schools and education programs that set students up for success. Making students with disabilities pawns in a cynical game is a wrong that will have long-term consequences nationwide. Congress must act now.

Send a message to Congress urging them to stop the Trump administration's attacks on public education.

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, CHN Action

¹ Special education staff decimated after Trump administration shutdown firings: Sources
² Federal Special Education Offices Hollowed Out, Putting Students’ Rights at Risk
³ Federal Judge Issues Immediate Halt of Trump Administration’s Illegal Firing of Federal Workers During Shutdown
⁴ What to know about the Education Department’s latest round of RIFs
⁵ Special education staff decimated after Trump administration shutdown firings: Sources
⁶ Special Education teacher and NEA Secretary-Treasurer Noel Candelaria on Bluesky