Dem AGs sue over Trump administration's Department of Education layoffs

The DoEd, which Trump has said he would close "immediately," announced on Tuesday that it would be shrinking its workforce from around 4,133 to around 2,183 employees. Remaining workers impacted by the reductions will be placed on administrative leave beginning March 21. 

Madi Biedermann, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Communications, U.S. Department of Education, told Fox News Digital in response to the lawsuit that the reductions were "strategic, internal-facing cuts that will not directly impact students and families."

"President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American public to return education authority to the states," Biedermann told Fox News Digital. "The Department of Education's reduction in force (RIF) was implemented carefully and in compliance with all applicable regulations and laws. They are strategic, internal-facing cuts that will not directly impact students and families."

Biedermann also said that no employees working on the FAFSA, student loan servicing, Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title funds, the Office of Special Education Programs, or the Rehabilitation Services Administration who serve children with disabilities were impacted.

"The Office for Civil Rights will continue to investigate complaints and vigorously enforce federal civil rights laws," Biedermann said.

"This administration may claim to be stopping waste and fraud, but it is clear that their only mission is to take away the necessary services, resources, and funding that students and their families need," James, New York's attorney general and a vocal Trump critic, said in a statement on Thursday. "This outrageous effort to leave students behind and deprive them of a quality education is reckless and illegal."

The lawsuit comes just days after the Trump administration formally stripped James of her security clearances.

The other blue states suing the administration include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

The suit points to former President Ronald Reagan's attempts to close the department, claiming that the efforts reflect "the uncontroversial understanding that only Congress may abolish an agency it created."

Fox News' Emma Colton contributed to this report.