- Reduction in Force at the Department of Education
- House passes CR, Senate Democrats still bargaining
- Lori Chavez-DeRemer confirmed as Secretary of Labor>
Reduction in Force at the Department of Education
On Tuesday evening, the Department of Education (ED) began a formal opens in a new windowReduction in Force (RIF) process. According to the Department’s announcement, more than 1,300 agency employees will be placed on “administrative leave” starting March 21. Coupled with the more than 600 ED employees who have accepted voluntary resignations and retirements, this will reduce the agency’s workforce from about 4,133 when President Trump took office to about 2,183.
The Department’s announcement stated that all divisions have been impacted by the reduction. Further reporting indicates that some divisions have been slashed much more than others. According to documents opens in a new windowobtained by Politico, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) and the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) are among the hardest hit divisions.
Reports also indicate that FSA – the office that administers Title IV aid, including Pell Grants and student loans, manages the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and oversees student loan servicers – will be reduced by a third. FSA has been under enormous strain in recent years, due in part to the flat funding through several appropriations cycles. The agency has attributed some of its challenges– most notably the disastrous roll-out of the 2024-25 FAFSA – to acute understaffing and lack of capacity to oversee its many contractors. The RIFs in SFA raise significant questions about how remaining staff will be able to effectively carry out the office’s essential functions for students and parents, colleges and universities, and borrowers.
According to Politico, the Institute for Education Sciences (IES) staff has been gutted, just weeks after the Department opens in a new windowcanceled 89 contracts totaling $900 million that supported IES’ research and core functions. There are also reports that the entire Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) team has been subject to the RIF. Title IV-participating colleges and universities are required by law to submit data to IPEDS three times a year. What happens next in this essential functional area that is so important to all stakeholders remains to be seen.
The Department says it will “continue to deliver on all statutory programs that fall under the agency’s purview, including formula funding, student loans, Pell Grants, funding for special needs students, and competitive grantmaking.” It is not yet clear how ED plans to reorganize offices, reassign staff, or make other administrative changes to continue to maintain these programs with such a dramatic reduction in capacity.
AACC is carefully monitoring developments at the Department of Education and will provide more updates on changes to staffing, organization, and agency functions as they become available. AACC’s government relations staff is eager to hear from member colleges about challenges that these administrative changes may cause.
House passes CR, Senate Democrats still bargaining
Lawmakers in the House and Senate face a looming deadline to avoid a partial government shutdown. Last year, Congress passed a short-term funding bill – called a continuing resolution (CR) – to fund the government through March 14. Absent another extension bill being passed in both chambers and signed into law by President Trump, funding will expire at midnight on Friday.
On Tuesday, the House passed their 99-page CR to fund the government through September 30 on a near party-line vote. As covered in the opens in a new windowCommunity College Daily, the CR would largely extend Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 24) funding levels but does include rescissions to Department of Labor (DOL) Employment and Training programs and Dislocated Worker Assistance. Beyond these cuts, the bill eliminates funding for Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS) projects for higher education under the Fund for Improvement in Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) and would not include any CDS projects for FY 25. We know many community colleges have worked closely with their Congressional members to advance FY 25 projects.
Most importantly for Democrats, the bill does not include an explanatory statement, funding tables, or detailed report language directing agencies on how to spend appropriated money. This highly unusual arrangement would give the Trump administration great latitude on how much funding many programs will receive.
The CR is now being considered by the Senate. Appropriations bills are subject to the filibuster and therefore need 60 votes to pass. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) has already indicated that he will not support the measure, so it will require eight Democrats to be passed into law. Beyond this, Republicans will need all 100 senators to agree to consider the legislation on an expedited basis. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) has communicated that his caucus will not vote to invoke cloture unless Senate Republicans allow for amendments to the CR. At this point, they plan to offer an amendment to extend FY 24 funding until April 11, giving lawmakers more time to negotiate FY 25 spending bills. At the time of this writing, it is unlikely that such an amendment will succeed, leaving Senate Democrats with the decision to accept the House’s CR or oppose it, knowing that opposition will result in a government shut down.
Lori Chavez-DeRemer confirmed as Secretary of Labor
On Monday, the Senate confirmed Lori Chavez-DeRemer to serve as Secretary of Labor in a 67-32 bipartisan vote. Seventeen Democrats joined Republicans to confirm Sec. Chavez-DeRemer, with three Republicans voting no.
As covered by Matthew Dembicki in the opens in a new windowCommunity College Daily, Chavez-DeRemer shared a strong interest in expanding registered apprenticeships during her confirmation hearing last month. She also voiced support for workforce education and, in particular, the role that community college-offered two-year degrees and certificates play in connecting students with good jobs in their communities.