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Education Department IG Report: RIF Cuts May Have Left Legally Required Work Unstaffed

civil service department of education federal employees inspector general rif Jun 25, 2026

A new Inspector General report on the Department of Education's rapid workforce reduction reveals something more troubling than headline job-loss numbers: staffing cuts may have eliminated the personnel performing work Congress specifically required the agency to do.

What the IG Found

The report examined what happened at Education between January 20 and March 31, 2025. The first number is staggering. Education lost at least 1,579 of 3,902 employees — roughly 40 percent of its workforce. Of those, 1,227 were separated through reduction-in-force (RIF) actions, and at least 352 left through other separation programs.

But the volume of departures isn't the central finding. What the IG flagged is what those employees were doing.

The IG identified suboffices with no remaining employees that appeared to have been performing statutory or oversight functions — in plain terms, work Congress required the Department to carry out.

Which Functions Were Affected

Federal Student Aid lost staff responsible for oversight of guaranty agencies, lenders, servicers, and schools participating in federal student aid — the operational backbone of FAFSA, Pell Grants, student loans, and school accountability.

The Office for Civil Rights saw regional offices and suboffices emptied of staff who had handled civil rights complaint investigations and compliance reviews under Title VI, Title IX, Section 504, the Age Discrimination Act, and parts of the ADA. Students facing race, sex, or disability discrimination rely on this office to enforce their legal rights.

The Office of English Language Acquisition went from 16 employees to one. That office supports English learners and Title III programs nationwide.

The Office of General Counsel was reduced by at least 69%, eliminating functions that included ethics advice, legal support for civil rights and special education, grants, contracts, FOIA, the Privacy Act, and rulemaking.

On the financial side, the Department terminated 129 contracts worth approximately $1.3 billion and 90 grants with obligations totaling approximately $504 million. The largest grant terminations included teacher training and school-based mental health programs.

The Department Pushed Back — And the IG Wasn't Satisfied

The Department argued that the report could be read to suggest statutory duties were no longer being performed, and cited pending litigation and court orders as limiting what it could share with investigators. The IG's response is worth noting: the Department never explained how giving the IG access would violate those court orders, and it provided no corroborating evidence that the eliminated functions were still being carried out by anyone.

Why This Matters Beyond Education

This is an Education Department story, but it's also a warning about what happens when any federal agency is reduced faster than the consequences can be measured. When agencies lose the staff performing legally mandated functions, the public loses services, rights go unenforced, and federal money goes unmonitored.

Federal employees aren't an abstraction. They are the mechanism by which law becomes reality — for students seeking civil rights enforcement, for parents navigating financial aid, for communities relying on federally supported programs.

If you're a federal employee who has experienced a RIF or is concerned about agency restructuring, Southworth PC represents federal employees nationwide. You can also subscribe to our free newsletter for ongoing updates on federal employment law.

Legal Disclaimer: This post is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. The information here reflects publicly available reporting and does not address any individual's specific legal situation. If you have questions about your rights as a federal employee, contact a qualified federal employment attorney.

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