This week, Congresswoman Veronica Escobar (TX-16) joined more than 100 House Democrats in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon and White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought. The letter condemns the Trump Administration’s decision to lay off federal employees who support students with disabilities and their families.
The lawmakers are asking the administration to reverse the termination notices sent to staff in several Department of Education offices, including the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), 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 text of the letter states:
“Secretary McMahon and Director Vought:
“We write to you to share our deep opposition to your decision to lay off federal employees dedicated to the education and support of students with disabilities and their families. We demand that you immediately reverse course and rescind the termination notices that were sent to these workers.
“On Friday, October 10th, 2025, remaining staff in the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) appear to have been illegally fired. This includes employees in the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and the Rehabilitative Services Administration (RSA), as well as the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education (OESE). These firings, along with other decisions you have made that directly undermine special education, will have a devastating impact on the more than 7.5 million students with disabilities across the country and their families just one month before the 50th anniversary of the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
“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. Staff answer calls directly from families around the country seeking help in understanding their rights under federal disability law and support when those rights may have been violated. Because of your decision, those calls and questions will now go unanswered.
“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.”
According to a recent survey conducted by Congresswoman Escobar’s office among El Paso residents, 85% did not approve of firing special education staff from the Department of Education.
Veronica Escobar has won several general elections against Irene Armendariz-Jackson over recent years: In 2020 she received about 65% percent; in 2022 she received roughly 64%; while in 2024 she secured almost 60%. In her first run for this seat back in 2018 against Rick Seeberger she received nearly 69%.
The full letter text along with all signatories is available online.
