California on Thursday joined Democratic-led states in suing the Trump administration, seeking to halt massive layoffs at the federal Department of Education, alleging the cuts amount to an illegal shutdown of its work to administer student loans, protect civil rights and help educate students from low-income families and students with disabilities.

In the suit, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta alleged that staff reductions announced this week by Education Secretary Linda McMahon are a “reckless” attempt to follow through on President Trump’s pledge to close the department by making it unable to carry out duties mandated by Congress. Bonta joined attorneys general representing 19 Democratic states and the District of Columbia in the complaint, filed in federal district court in Massachusetts.

The Trump administration ordered layoffs that would leave the agency at about half the size it was before the president’s inauguration. McMahon has called the reductions the “first step” in the department’s “final mission” — eliminating the agency. Trump has tasked McMahon with putting herself “out of a job,” but faces challenges because he cannot formally shut down the department without congressional approval.

The layoffs, which are to take effect March 21, would leave 2,183 workers at the department, down from 4,133 in January. About 600 employees previously left after accepting voluntary resignation offers.

The suit accused the administration of violating the separation of powers laid out in the Constitution and the Administrative Procedure Act, which regulates executive branch rulemaking.

In a statement Thursday, an Education Department spokeswoman said the cuts were legally made, “internal-facing” and would not “directly” hit students.

“President Trump was elected with a mandate from the American public to return education authority to the states. The Department of Education’s reduction in force was implemented carefully and in compliance with all applicable regulations and laws,” said Madi Biedermann, the department’s deputy assistant secretary for communications. “They are strategic, internal-facing cuts that will not directly impact students and families.”

Biedermann said no employees working in these units were laid off: FAFSA — the Free Application for Federal Student Aid — student loan servicing; Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Title funds, which aid disadvantaged students; the Office of Special Education Programs; or the Rehabilitation Services Administration, which serves children with disabilities.

StudentAid.gov, which houses the FAFSA form, was down for several hours Wednesday, and the Associated Press reported that cuts included developers and IT support staff charged with maintaining the aid application. A department spokesperson reiterated the assertion that no employees working on FAFSA or loan servicing were laid off, but is was not clear if that included technical support.

The Office for Civil Rights, which ensures that schools follow federal antidiscrimination law, was significantly hit by layoffs, including all staff at the San Francisco regional office that had about 50 employees working civil rights cases across California.

Regional civil rights offices in Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Boston, New York and Philadelphia are also closing. Those in Seattle, Denver, Kansas City and Washington will remain open.

Biedermann said the civil rights division “will continue to investigate complaints and vigorously enforce federal civil rights laws.”

Bonta filed the lawsuit with attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, Wisconsin, Vermont and the District of Columbia.

“It is a bedrock constitutional principle that the president and his agencies cannot make law. Rather, they can only — and indeed, they must — implement the laws enacted by Congress, including those statutes that create federal agencies and dictate their duties,” the lawsuit said. “The executive thus can neither outright abolish an agency nor incapacitate it by cutting away the personnel required to implement the agency’s statutorily-mandated duties.”

During a Wednesday meeting with the Irish prime minister, Trump accused Education Department employees of not doing their jobs: “Department of Education, department of big buildings … and by the way, they’re empty,” he said. “Nobody shows up to work.” In an apparent reference to the layoffs, he added: “I think Linda did a very good job.”

Bonta — joined Thursday by his counterparts from Hawaii, Massachusetts and New York — accused Trump of having an “anti-education agenda.”

“In 2022, out of 37 developed nations, American students ranked 28th in math and 12th in science. Those numbers don’t stand a chance without the invaluable programs the Department of Education provides, including assistance to children from low-income families, vocational training, enforcement of antidiscrimination laws, alongside countless other responsibilities fundamental to our educational system,” Bonta said, citing data from the Program for International Student Assessment.

Trump has called the department “a big con job,” citing the low performance by U.S. students as a reason to dismantle the agency.

Hawaii Atty. Gen. Anne Lopez said Trump’s vow to return education to the states was an “empty talking point” because states already have policymaking authority and provide the majority of funding.

“Our kids should not be political pawns,” said Massachusetts Atty. Gen. Andrea Campbell. “We can address bloated bureaucracies lawfully and effectively, and the recent actions by the federal administration does not.”

California receives billions in federal funding from the Education Department for K-12 and higher-education students and programs. That includes $16.3 billion annually in federal funding for K-12 school students, or about $2,750 per student. The Los Angeles Unified School District — the nation’s second-largest school system — puts its annual federal support at $1.26 billion.

Not all of those dollars go through the Department of Education. Significant federal funding for early-childhood education comes from the Department of Health and Human Services, and the student meal program is funded by the Department of Agriculture. L.A. Unified estimates that it receives $363 million to feed students from low-income families.

About 80% of L.A. Unified students qualify for Title I-funded services, including tutoring, smaller classes, after-school programs, teacher training, counseling and family engagement. Another major funding area aids students with disabilities.

In higher education, the Education Department handles student loans for 43 million borrowers who owe the government more than $1.5 trillion. About half of Cal State University students receive student loans, a portfolio of more than $1 billion.

The Pell Grant program, which awards more than $120 billion to 13 million students each year to help pay for higher education, is also managed by the department. About $1.5 billion per year is set aside in Pell Grants for California students.

Monday’s suit is one of several that Bonta and other Democratic state attorneys general have filed against the Trump administration.

On March 6, California joined seven other states suing the Trump administration over cancellation of $250 million grants to them — $600 million nationwide — for teacher training programs funded through the Education Department. The administration said the programs promote inappropriate and “divisive ideologies” linked to diversity, equity and inclusion, known as DEI. A federal judge on Monday ordered the programs reinstated while he reviewed the case.