Rep. Mark Harris, RN.C., said Tuesday that President Trump successfully sued the Department of Education during his 2024 campaign, leading more Republicans to support efforts to significantly reduce the workforce.
In an interview with NewsNation's “The Hill,” Anchor Blake Berman asked Harris what changed among GOP lawmakers, noting that 60 House Republicans voted against the last legislature to remove the department.
Right now, few Republicans criticize the Trump administration's move to cut their workforce by almost half.
“Well, I think people really have an appetite right now because I think they have a chance of seeing it,” Harris said, adding that he has poor test scores across the country.
He also believed that the president had an impact on the sentiment of the people.
“And I think this president did an incredible job of making his point that the Department of Education could not perform at the truly and truly federal level in the last election we had,” Harris continued.
“Most of the time, because governance closest to the home controls the most effective ones, and I believe that applies to education,” he added. “And I think we see the desire for that. And I think there are a lot of questions raised in this Congress about it.”
The interview came amid reports that the Ministry of Education is trying to cut a significant share of the workforce.
Shortly after the interview, senior department officials announced that 1,315 staff members had been notified on Tuesday that they would be let go.
The division launched Trump's second term with more than 4,000 employees, but even before Tuesday, hundreds had already been on leave or had been offered to acquire.
After the cuts, 2,183 employees were left in the department, and Trump called out the shutters completely.
The hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group and also owns News Nation.
