AFGE Local 252 Statement on U.S. Education Department Unlawfully Moving More Offices to Other Agencies

February 23, 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 current and former employees, released the following statement from AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman about the most recent interagency agreements announced by the Trump Administration:

“Secretary Linda McMahon is unlawfully dismantling the Education Department by moving programs and offices to other federal agencies despite a clear warning from Congress that she lacks the authority to do so. These moves come as the Trump Administration has attempted to fire large numbers of career public servants in these very offices — and is now trying to shift their critical work across multiple federal agencies with no educational expertise. Today’s announcement moves the Office of Safe and Supportive Schools to the Department of Health and Human Services, an agency run by a man who frequently spreads conspiracy theories and misinformation about children’s health. This isn’t efficiency — Secretary McMahon is creating confusion for schools and colleges, eroding public trust, and harming students and families. This is an insult to the tens of millions of students who rely on the Department to safeguard access to quality education and to the taxpayers who depend on federal oversight to prevent waste.”

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