CONGRESSMAN JOE MORELLE JOINS EFFORT TO COUNTER TRUMP ADMINISTRATON’S ATTACKS ON SPECIAL EDUCATION SERVICES
Signs onto letter condemning Trump administration’s assault on programs designed to support students with disabilities and their families
(Washington, D.C.)—Today, Congressman Joe Morelle fought back against the Trump administration’s decision to fire thousands of employees from the U.S. Department of Education, including those with oversight of Special Education and other programs designed to aid students with disabilities and their families.
“Nearly 15% of students in public schools across America require some form of special education services—and now, because of the brutal, callous actions of the Trump administration, those students will not have the support they need to thrive,” said Congressman Joe Morelle. “I’m proud to join my colleagues in calling out this cruel, unprecedented decision by the Trump administration and standing up against attempts to reduce or eliminate the programs and services families rely on.”
Congressman Morelle, along with over 100 other House Democrats, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought urging the Administration to rescind their decision to lay off federal employees dedicated to the education and support of students with disabilities and their families.
The reduction-in-force (RIF) order affects the dozens of staff members responsible for roughly $15 billion in special education funding and for making sure states provide special education services to children with disabilities. The letter warns that the RIF will have devastating consequences for the more than 7.5 million students with disabilities across the country and their families.
Specifically, the affected staff members worked in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE).
The full text of the letter can be found here.
Congressman Morelle has been a long-time advocate for students of all abilities and continues fighting in Washington for the resources, skills, and opportunities every student needs to thrive. Read more about his work here.
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