The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with sweeping changes to the Department of Education, including nearly 1,400 layoffs and the outsourcing of many core responsibilities to other federal agencies.In an emergency ruling, the justices paused a lower court decision that blocked the layoffs and called into question the legality of the president’s plan. That means the administration can now finalize staffing cuts and execute its plan to divide the department’s work among other agencies, a process that has already led to major disruptions in financial aid and civil rights enforcement.“We want to bring education back to the states,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday. “Take the federal government out of it. A tiny little supervision, almost nothing. Like to make sure they speak English, that’s about all we need.”The administration had already begun the reorganization earlier this year. According to court documents:The $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio is expected to be transferred to the Treasury Department. Nine Education Department staffers have already been detailed to Treasury to begin that work.The department reached an agreement to transfer $2.6 billion in workforce and adult education grants to the Department of Labor.Additional functions could be handed off soon. Secretary Linda McMahon has previously suggested special education oversight could move to Health and Human Services, while civil rights enforcement may be managed by the Department of Justice.A spokesperson for the department confirmed the transition is underway:“We are thrilled to once again have the flexibility and freedom to return education to the states – where it rightfully belongs,” said Madi Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, in a statement to Hearst. “Currently, the Department is focused on implementing the workforce partnership with the Department of Labor. We look forward to identifying additional strategies to make education programs more efficient and effective for students, families, and taxpayers.”Secretary McMahon issued a separate statement Monday following the court’s decision:“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies. While today’s ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution.”The U.S. Department of Education will now deliver on its mandate to restore excellence in American education. We will carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most – to students, parents, and teachers. As we return education to the states, this Administration will continue to perform all statutory duties while empowering families and teachers by reducing education bureaucracy.”The nearly 1,400 Education Department employees targeted by layoffs have been on paid administrative leave since March. Until now, a lower court ruling prevented the agency from fully terminating them, although none were allowed to return to work.College financial aid administrators say the layoffs have already caused major delays. According to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, communication with the department has eroded, and federal systems have experienced outages, including a prolonged failure on StudentAid.gov the day after the cuts took effect.“It is concerning that the Court is allowing the Trump administration to continue with its planned reduction in force, given what we know about the early impact of those cuts on delivering much-needed financial assistance to students seeking a postsecondary education,” said Melanie Storey, president and CEO of the group.Civil rights advocates are also warning of serious consequences.“Without enough staff and resources, students will face more barriers to educational opportunity and have fewer places to turn to when their rights are violated,” said Gaylynn Burroughs, vice president at the National Women’s Law Center. “This is part of a coordinated plan by the Trump administration to dismantle the federal government and roll back hard-won civil rights protections.”The advocacy group Democracy Forward, which represents plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit against the administration, said the fight is not over.“No court in the nation — not even the Supreme Court—has found that what the administration is doing is lawful,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the group. “We will pursue every legal option to protect children and communities.”The restructuring of the department has also triggered a wave of lawsuits from more than 20 states, many of them challenging the Trump administration’s decision to freeze education funds, including money for after-school programs that serve more than 1.4 million children.In Vermont, Attorney General Charity Clark said the state is suing for over $26 million in blocked funding.”Once again, the President wishes to unconstitutionally undo appropriations made by Congress,” Clark said. “The President does not have the power to freeze these funds – funds that Vermont schools are counting on. I am going to keep fighting for our Constitution, for Vermont schools, and for the future of our country.”Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a similar lawsuit seeking $230 million.“Today, I’m suing to force the Trump Administration to deliver the money our students and schools were promised and are owed – critical funds that school districts rely on to meet their budgets, train high-quality teachers, provide afterschool programs for kids, and so much more,” Shapiro said. “Because if anyone tries to hurt students here in Pennsylvania, they’ll have to go through me.” While the Supreme Court’s ruling allows the administration to move forward with layoffs and restructuring, it is not a final decision on the underlying legal challenge.The lawsuit brought by advocacy group Democracy Forward is still pending in federal court. The group, which represents a coalition of parents, educators, and civil rights organizations, says the Trump administration’s plan remains legally questionable.“No court in the nation — not even the Supreme Court — has found that what the administration is doing is lawful,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We will pursue every legal option to protect children and communities.”A full trial on the merits is expected later this year in the D.C. District Court. For now, the ruling allows the Education Department’s reorganization to continue, even as legal and political battles intensify.See more from the Hearst Television Washington News Bureau below:

WASHINGTON —

The U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the Trump administration to move forward with sweeping changes to the Department of Education, including nearly 1,400 layoffs and the outsourcing of many core responsibilities to other federal agencies.

In an emergency ruling, the justices paused a lower court decision that blocked the layoffs and called into question the legality of the president’s plan. That means the administration can now finalize staffing cuts and execute its plan to divide the department’s work among other agencies, a process that has already led to major disruptions in financial aid and civil rights enforcement.

“We want to bring education back to the states,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday. “Take the federal government out of it. A tiny little supervision, almost nothing. Like to make sure they speak English, that’s about all we need.”

The administration had already begun the reorganization earlier this year. According to court documents:

The $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio is expected to be transferred to the Treasury Department. Nine Education Department staffers have already been detailed to Treasury to begin that work.

The department reached an agreement to transfer $2.6 billion in workforce and adult education grants to the Department of Labor.

Additional functions could be handed off soon. Secretary Linda McMahon has previously suggested special education oversight could move to Health and Human Services, while civil rights enforcement may be managed by the Department of Justice.

A spokesperson for the department confirmed the transition is underway:

“We are thrilled to once again have the flexibility and freedom to return education to the states – where it rightfully belongs,” said Madi Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, in a statement to Hearst. “Currently, the Department is focused on implementing the workforce partnership with the Department of Labor. We look forward to identifying additional strategies to make education programs more efficient and effective for students, families, and taxpayers.”

Secretary McMahon issued a separate statement Monday following the court’s decision:

“Today, the Supreme Court again confirmed the obvious: the President of the United States, as the head of the Executive Branch, has the ultimate authority to make decisions about staffing levels, administrative organization, and day-to-day operations of federal agencies. While today’s ruling is a significant win for students and families, it is a shame that the highest court in the land had to step in to allow President Trump to advance the reforms Americans elected him to deliver using the authorities granted to him by the U.S. Constitution.

“The U.S. Department of Education will now deliver on its mandate to restore excellence in American education. We will carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability and to ensure resources are directed where they matter most – to students, parents, and teachers. As we return education to the states, this Administration will continue to perform all statutory duties while empowering families and teachers by reducing education bureaucracy.”

The nearly 1,400 Education Department employees targeted by layoffs have been on paid administrative leave since March. Until now, a lower court ruling prevented the agency from fully terminating them, although none were allowed to return to work.

College financial aid administrators say the layoffs have already caused major delays. According to the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, communication with the department has eroded, and federal systems have experienced outages, including a prolonged failure on StudentAid.gov the day after the cuts took effect.

“It is concerning that the Court is allowing the Trump administration to continue with its planned reduction in force, given what we know about the early impact of those cuts on delivering much-needed financial assistance to students seeking a postsecondary education,” said Melanie Storey, president and CEO of the group.

Civil rights advocates are also warning of serious consequences.

“Without enough staff and resources, students will face more barriers to educational opportunity and have fewer places to turn to when their rights are violated,” said Gaylynn Burroughs, vice president at the National Women’s Law Center. “This is part of a coordinated plan by the Trump administration to dismantle the federal government and roll back hard-won civil rights protections.”

The advocacy group Democracy Forward, which represents plaintiffs in the ongoing lawsuit against the administration, said the fight is not over.

“No court in the nation — not even the Supreme Court—has found that what the administration is doing is lawful,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of the group. “We will pursue every legal option to protect children and communities.”

The restructuring of the department has also triggered a wave of lawsuits from more than 20 states, many of them challenging the Trump administration’s decision to freeze education funds, including money for after-school programs that serve more than 1.4 million children.

In Vermont, Attorney General Charity Clark said the state is suing for over $26 million in blocked funding.

“Once again, the President wishes to unconstitutionally undo appropriations made by Congress,” Clark said. “The President does not have the power to freeze these funds – funds that Vermont schools are counting on. I am going to keep fighting for our Constitution, for Vermont schools, and for the future of our country.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro filed a similar lawsuit seeking $230 million.

“Today, I’m suing to force the Trump Administration to deliver the money our students and schools were promised and are owed – critical funds that school districts rely on to meet their budgets, train high-quality teachers, provide afterschool programs for kids, and so much more,” Shapiro said. “Because if anyone tries to hurt students here in Pennsylvania, they’ll have to go through me.”

While the Supreme Court’s ruling allows the administration to move forward with layoffs and restructuring, it is not a final decision on the underlying legal challenge.

The lawsuit brought by advocacy group Democracy Forward is still pending in federal court. The group, which represents a coalition of parents, educators, and civil rights organizations, says the Trump administration’s plan remains legally questionable.

“No court in the nation — not even the Supreme Court — has found that what the administration is doing is lawful,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward. “We will pursue every legal option to protect children and communities.”

A full trial on the merits is expected later this year in the D.C. District Court. For now, the ruling allows the Education Department’s reorganization to continue, even as legal and political battles intensify.

See more from the Hearst Television Washington News Bureau below: