President Trump on Wednesday said Education Secretary Linda McMahon was behind the mass layoffs at the agency, not mentioning tech billionaire Elon Musk while defending the overhaul. “When we cut— we want to cut— but we want to cut the people that aren’t working or not doing a good job.

The Department of Education is cutting its workforce of more than 4,100 people by nearly 50%, the agency announced on Tuesday evening. The big picture: Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed to Fox News the action was the first step toward President Trump's plans for a total shutdown of the agency.