The lawsuit alleges the layoffs are so severe the department “can no longer function, and cannot comply with its statutory requirements.”

Colorado's Attorney General has joined 20 other states in suing the president's administration to stop what they call the "illegal dismantling" of the U.S. Department of Education.

Current and former employees at the agency spoke with The Nation about the chaos as 1,300 people were laid off on Tuesday. “The ramifications of this will be enormous.”

President Donald Trump is hosting Ireland Prime Minister Michael Martin for an annual St. Patrick's Day celebration. Fallout continues from Trump's tariff policy, with new levies slapped on steel and aluminum imports, as well as his administration's reshaping of the federal government as layoffs begin at the Department of Education.

President Trump praised Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for saying he would back the GOP spending bill to avert a government shutdown.

Now they can add rising fears of a recession and a possible government shutdown to the list. And what's next for U.S. trading partners? The president vowed on Thursday that he would not back down on imposing major reciprocal tariffs next month.