February 2, 2026
Media contact: Dorie Turner Nolt, dorie.turner@gmail.com, 404-861-1127
American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 252, which represents more than 2,700 U.S. Department of Education employees, released the following statement from AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman about the partial government shutdown.
“Tens of millions of students, educators, and families depend on the Department’s comprehensive support for schools, from early learning through graduate programs. That work is now on hold because of the partial government shutdown affecting the U.S. Department of Education and a handful of other agencies. In addition, the hardworking public servants at the Department will once again not receive paychecks because they are either furloughed or working without pay. This comes nearly three months after the end of the historic 43-day shutdown, which forced some of our members to borrow money or use public assistance to put food on the table. We need politicians on both sides of the aisle to pass a budget that puts federal employees back to work on behalf of the American people, while also protecting students and families from being targeted by immigration enforcement at schools.”
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AFGE Local 252 