Congresswoman Simon, Congresswoman McBath, and Congressman DeSaulnier Lead 117 House Democrats in Demanding the Trump Administration Stop Attacks on Special Education and Reverse Department of Education Federal Employee Layoffs

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12), Congresswoman Lucy McBath (D-GA-06), and Congressman Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) led 117 House Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought strongly condemning and demanding the Trump Administration rescind their decision to lay off federal employees dedicated to the education and support of students with disabilities and their families at the Department of Education.   As the first congenitally blind member of Congress to serve in the House of Representatives, Congresswoman Simon is committed to defending, protecting, and expanding the rights of individuals with disabilities and the disability community. 

The members are demanding the Administration immediately reverse course and rescind the termination notices issued to staff in the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), including employees in 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 letter warns that the terminations will have devastating consequences for the more than 7.5 million students with disabilities across the country and their families.

The members write, “Decimating these offices threatens accountability for special education and vocational rehabilitation funds, as well as the civil rights Congress has enshrined in federal law, at a time when schools nationwide are already struggling to meet the needs of students and when people with disabilities continue to face barriers to employment. Federal employees at OSERS play a key role in ensuring that federal dollars are spent appropriately and effectively to support students with disabilities. Without them, there will be no oversight to ensure that physically disabled students, blind/deaf children and teenagers, as well as students with dyslexia, autism, and other disabilities are receiving the free and appropriate public education they are guaranteed under the IDEA.”

The letter continues, “...These reckless terminations are just another in a line of actions by your administration that threaten the rights that individuals with disabilities have fought long and hard for. We urge you to immediately rescind your plans to wrongly fire employees at the agencies listed above so that they can continue working to ensure that every family, no matter where they live or their income, has access to an education that will set them up for a successful future regardless of their child’s disability.”

Congresswoman Simon is a leader in the disability policy space.  Last month, Congresswoman Simon led her colleagues in a letter to the Secretary of Labor expressing alarm at the Department’s failure to protect federal contractors with disabilities. During Disability Pride Month, Congresswoman Simon and Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) introduced the Disability and Age in Jury Service Nondiscrimination Act, legislation to prohibit the exclusion or disqualification of disabled or elderly jurors in federal jury service. In June 2025, Congresswoman Simon’s bipartisan bill to expand employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities and help small businesses become more accessible unanimously passed the House of Representatives. In May 2025, Congresswomen Simon and Jahana Hayes (D-CT-05) introduced the See the Board Act, legislation directing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to make grants available to nonprofits that provide free, mobile vision services for K-12 students in public schools.

The full text of the letter can be found here, and more details on the letter can be found below.  

The 117 signers of the letter include: United States Representatives Alma Adams, Gabe Amo, Becca Balint, Joyce Beatty, Donald Beyer, Julia Brownley, Shontel Brown, Nikki Budzinski, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Troy Carter, Greg Casar, Ed Case, Sean Casten, Joaquin Castro, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Joe Courtney, Angie Craig, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Suzan DelBene, Christopher Deluzio, Mark DeSaulnier, Debbie Dingell, Lloyd Doggett, Sarah Elfreth, Veronica Escobar, Dwight Evans, Shomari Figures, Lizzie Fletcher, Bill Foster, John Garamendi, Jesús García, Sylvia Garcia, Daniel Goldman, Maggie Goodlander, Josh Gottheimer, Jahana Hayes, James Himes, Steny Hoyer, Jared Huffman, Glenn Ivey, Jonathan Jackson, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Julie Johnson, William Keating, Robin Kelly, Timothy Kennedy, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Greg Landsman, Summer Lee, Susie Lee, Ted Lieu, Seth Magaziner, Doris Matsui, Lucy McBath, Sarah McBride, April McClain Delaney, Jennifer McClellan, Betty McCollum, Kristen McDonald Rivet, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Robert Menendez, Gwen Moore, Joseph Morelle, Kelly Morrison, Seth Moulton, Kevin Mullin, Eleanor Norton, Ilhan Omar, Jimmy Panetta, Chris Pappas, Scott Peters, Brittany Pettersen, Chellie Pingree, Mark Pocan, Mike Quigley, Delia Ramirez, Emily Randall, Jamie Raskin, Andrea Salinas, Linda Sánchez, Janice Schakowsky, Bradley Schneider, Kim Schrier, Brad Sherman, Lateefah Simon, Adam Smith, Eric Sorensen, Melanie Stansbury, Haley Stevens, Marilyn Strickland, Suhas Subramanyam, Eric Swalwell, Mark Takano, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Paul Tonko, Norma Torres, Ritchie Torres, Lori Trahan, Derek Tran, Juan Vargas, Gabe Vasquez, Marc Veasey, Nydia Velázquez, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxine Waters, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Nikema Williams, and Frederica Wilson.

The letter is endorsed by National Center for Learning Disabilities, All4Ed, National Association of School Psychologists, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, EdTrust, AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education), Advocacy Without Borders, National Association of School Psychologist, Deaf Equality, OT Leaders and Legacies Society, Division of Evaluation and Assessment for Learning, Network of OT Practitioners with Disabilities & Supporters, Touch the Future Inc, National Association of Statewide Independent Living Councils (NASILC), Prevent Blindness, United Spinal Association, Angelman Syndrome Foundation, First Focus on Children, CommunicationFIRST, Teacher Education Division of the Council for Exceptional Children, Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, The Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation, Made for Math, National Association of the Deaf, Educating All Learners Alliance, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Educators for Excellence, American Association of University Women (AAUW), MomsRising, Council of Administrators of Special Education, Diversability, Dicapta, Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE), National Parents Union, American Occupational Therapy Association, American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), The Center for Learner Equity, Division of Early Childhood, The Ability Challenge, American Psychological Association, Griffin-Hammis Associates, The Center for Enriched Living, GLSEN, National Education Association, UnidosUS, Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools, and Yes! Access.

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