ED’s OIG Will Review Impact of RIF on ED Programs and Responsibilities
By Maria Carrasco, NASFAA Staff Reporter
In the aftermath of the Department of Education’s (ED) reduction in force (RIF), ED’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) recently announced that it will conduct a series of reviews examining how the RIF impacts the department’s programs and responsibilities.
In March, ED formally announced that the department would lay off nearly 50% of its staff across all divisions in an effort to improve efficiency and accountability.
In response to ED’s RIF announcement, several senators, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), sent a letter to acting ED Inspector General René Rocque, requesting that the OIG conduct an investigation on how the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle ED will impact the “efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity” of ED’s program and operations.
On April 9, Rocque responded to the senators’ letter, writing that ED’s OIG will be conducting a series of reviews to examine how changes in the department’s workforce impact ED’s programs and responsibilities. Those changes in workforce include the RIF, along with other initiatives from the Trump administration to shrink the department – including the deferred resignation program, a voluntary separation incentive payment, and a voluntary early retirement incentive.
“These reviews are consistent with our statutory responsibility to conduct audits and investigations relating to the Department’s programs and operations, and to promote economy, efficiency and effectiveness in such programs and operations,” Rocque wrote in the letter.
Specifically, the OIG will be conducting reviews of selected departmental offices to identify the effect of ED’s staffing reductions to the office’s programs and responsibilities. Rocque added that these reviews could also include actions that ED should consider to “help ensure productive and efficient operations” following the RIF.
“This investigation will help reveal what's at stake for those families,” Warren said in a statement last week. “While Donald Trump and Elon Musk side with the billionaires, I will never stop fighting for our kids.”
According to Rocque’s letter, the OIG hopes to publish reports on these reviews in the summer of 2025, though additional work may be needed beyond these initial reviews.
Stay tuned to Today’s News for more information on this OIG investigation.
Publication Date: 4/17/2025
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