March 26, 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 2,000 current and former employees at the U.S. Department of Education, released the following statement from AFGE Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman:
“For more than a year, the Trump Administration has traumatized federal workers, eroded public trust, harmed students and families, and wasted tens of millions in taxpayer dollars by dismantling the U.S. Department of Education, despite explicit direction from Congress and multiple courts that Education Secretary Linda McMahon does not have the authority to do so. Now, the Secretary plans to move what’s left of the Education Department staff from its longtime and recently renovated headquarters in Washington, D.C., to a privately owned building that formerly housed USAID nearby, under the guise of saving money. The message the Secretary’s announcement sends to our staff and the American public is clear–education is next on the chopping block. But after more than a year of fighting back against this unlawful and unprecedented gutting of a Congressionally created agency, we know that the will of the people, congressional intent, and the law is on our side. If the Secretary was truly interested in guarding taxpayer dollars, she wouldn’t have wasted up to $38 million on paid administrative leave for Office for Civil Rights workers, who returned to their jobs after she unsuccessfully tried to fire them last year. AFGE Local 252 will continue fighting to hold this Administration accountable and to stand with the professionals who work every day to ensure every student is treated with dignity, fairness, and respect.”
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AFGE Local 252 