President Donald Trump announced recently that roughly half of the Education Department's staff was being cut, amid his contentious plans to axe the department altogether.

The layoffs call into question how agency will be able to handle major operations such as student loans, FAFSA, the Nation’s Report Card and civil rights complaints.

The Trump administration cut about half the agency’s work force, saying the move would enable it to deliver services more effectively. The attorneys general called the layoffs “reckless and illegal.”