Pallone Condemns Trump Musk Cutting 6,900 Jersey Teaching Jobs, Including 400 in NJ 06

WASHINGTON, DC - Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06) today blasted a sweeping education funding rollback by Donald Trump and Elon Musk that would gut federal support for public schools and result in the firing of nearly 300,000 teachers nationwide-including 6,914 in New Jerseyand 399 in the Sixth Congressional District alone.

Pallone denounced the plan as part of a broader billionaire-driven effort to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and eliminate Title I grants, which provide critical resources to schools serving low-income students.

"Donald Trump and Elon Musk are teaming up to destroy public education in this country," said Pallone. "Their plan to eliminate Title I funding is a direct attack on working families. In New Jersey alone, millions of students would be left behind. This is cruelty masquerading as reform. At the same time, Trump and Republicans are working to give trillions of dollars in tax breaks to big corporations and billionaires."

The proposed cuts stem from Trump's recent executive order to dismantle the Department of Education and slash Title I grants, as well as Title II teacher support and IDEA special education programs. The result: fewer teachers, larger class sizes, and an increased burden on local taxpayers to keep schools afloat.

Pallone and members of the New Jersey congressional delegation sent a letter on March 24 to Education Secretary Linda McMahon warning that the Trump-Musk proposal would have devastating consequences for New Jersey's students, educators, and school districts. The letter outlines how the plan would decimate education budgets, trigger mass layoffs, and force local governments to raise property taxes to cover the shortfall.

Pallone, who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has long fought to preserve robust federal investments in public education and is now leading efforts to block what he calls "a billionaire power grab that leaves our kids in the dust."

"Every student deserves a teacher who believes in them-not a billionaire who wants to balance the budget on their backs," Pallone added. "We won't let them get away with it."

Pallone's full March 24 letter can be found here.