WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education has been criticized for spending millions of taxpayer dollars to eliminate a portion of its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), according to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Monday. The report reveals that from March to December 2025, the department spent between $28.5 million and $38 million on salaries and benefits for OCR employees on paid administrative leave. These employees, responsible for investigating civil rights complaints from students and families, were part of a broader Reduction in Force (RIF) under the Trump administration, pending legal challenges.
Faced with a growing backlog of discrimination complaints, the department announced in December that it would reinstate the affected employees. The agency began reversing the RIFs against OCR staff in early January while legal proceedings continued.
Complaints resolved
The department reported resolving over 7,000 of the 9,000 complaints received between March and September, according to the GAO. However, the watchdog noted that about 90% of these resolutions involved dismissing the complaints. In a 2021 report, GAO found dismissal rates ranged from 49% to 81% in previous academic years. The GAO urged the department to disclose potential costs and savings associated with the OCR RIF actions.
Trump aimed to decentralize education, seeking to transfer more control back to the states. Kimberly Richey, assistant secretary for OCR, stated that the issue is “moot” since the employees returned in December, and the RIFs were rescinded, adding, “We do not concur with the recommendation.”
‘Unacceptable’
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who requested the GAO report, condemned the expenditure as “unacceptable.” He emphasized that “every child in America should be able to get a good education” regardless of their background. Sanders criticized the Trump administration for dismissing half of the Education Department’s civil rights workforce, wasting up to $38 million, and preventing investigators from fulfilling their duties.
Rachel Gittleman, president of American Federation of Government Employees Local 252, accused the Trump administration of defying court orders by keeping civil rights professionals on leave, negatively impacting students and families. She criticized Education Secretary Linda McMahon for prioritizing politics over student rights, thereby undermining the department’s mission and causing undue stress to federal employees.
The department has not yet responded to a request for comment.
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