Emotional Education Department 'clap-outs' celebrate departed federal employees
Source: ABC News
March 28, 2025, 6:56 PM
Dozens of emotional Department of Education employees took part in a final "clap-out" in Washington, D.C., after losing jobs amid the Trump administration's agency restructuring. The administration slashed about 50% of the department's workforce as part of President Donald Trump and Education Secretary Linda McMahon's strategy to abolish the department and send education decisions to the states.
The departing civil servants, who have either been terminated, retired or voluntarily bought out, have each been given about 30 minutes to retrieve their belongings this week -- before exiting the building to clapping colleagues who were screaming "thank you!" outside the offices in Washington, D.C.
The last education chief, former Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, visited his old office to celebrate employees affected by the workforce shakeup. Clapping, shaking hands and cheering them along, Cardona told the civil servants, "Thank you for your service."
"These public servants that are walking out right now deserve a thank you. They deserve respect. They've worked hard -- not just during the time that I served as secretary but before that," Cardona, wearing plain clothes, told reporters in a brief statement outside agency headquarters. "I'm here, for the staff here, to say thank you," he added.
Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/emotional-education-department-clap-outs-celebrate-departed-federal/story?id=120274528
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