Why the Trump administration is bringing back US Education Department workers it once targeted in layoffs
The Trump administration has begun calling back dozens of US Education Department workers who were previously targeted in layoffs , citing the need to reduce a rising backlog of civil rights complaints from students and families. It is a reversal prompted not by a shift in policy but by the weight of cases that have continued to accumulate while staffing levels have fallen.
A recall shaped by legal disputes
For months, many of these workers had been on administrative leave while the department fought a series of lawsuits over its plan to cut positions in the Office for Civil Rights, the arm of the department responsible for investigating discrimination in schools and colleges. In a letter sent on Friday, officials ordered staff to return to duty on 15 December to help address the caseload. The directive stated that the office needs all available personnel to prioritise existing complaints. AP obtained the letter.
A department spokesperson confirmed the decision and said the administration still intends to pursue the layoffs as part of a broader effort to reduce the size of the department. Julie Hartman, speaking for the department, said the government would continue to appeal litigation over the reductions in force but would use all staff currently being paid by taxpayers in the meantime. Her comments were carried by AP.
A shrinking workforce and a rising caseload
More than two hundred workers in the Office for Civil Rights had been targeted for layoffs earlier this year. Those cuts have been tied up in legal disputes since March. Although an appeals court briefly cleared the way for the reductions in September, a separate lawsuit has paused them again. AP’s reporting notes that the Education Department workforce has fallen from about 4,100 employees when Donald Trump took office to roughly half that size today, as the administration continues to signal its intention to wind down the agency.
The department has not said how many workers will return. Some who spent months on administrative leave have already left. What is clear, through AP’s analysis of department data, is the scale of the challenge that remains. When Trump took office, the Office for Civil Rights had a backlog of about 20,000 discrimination complaints. With a much smaller staff, that backlog has now grown to more than 25,000.
The role of civil rights enforcement
The Office for Civil Rights is responsible for enforcing federal laws that bar discrimination in education on the basis of disability, sex, race and religion. It has the authority to investigate complaints from students across the country and, in rare cases, withhold federal funding from institutions that fail to comply with the law. Most cases, however, are resolved through voluntary agreements. The quality and speed of this work depend on staff who can review evidence, interview families and monitor compliance across states and districts.
Trump officials have defended the cuts and argued that the office was not operating efficiently, even at full staff. But former employees have questioned whether the office can meet its legal obligations with its current staffing levels. Families who filed complaints say they have felt the consequences, with some waiting months for updates and receiving no communication from investigators. These accounts were gathered through AP interviews.
What this reveals about federal capacity
The return of laid-off workers does not resolve the long-term questions raised by this episode. It does not change the administration’s goal of shrinking the department, nor does it guarantee that future cases will be reviewed in a timely manner. What it does reveal is a tension between a political project to reduce federal involvement in education and the practical demands of civil rights enforcement. When complaints continue to rise and staff continue to fall, backlogs are not abstract metrics. They shape the experience of students who rely on federal protections to hold their schools accountable.
What comes next
Whether this recall marks a temporary measure or an early sign of strain in the broader effort to scale back the department will become clear only over time. For now, families seeking answers will watch not the announcements in Washington but the speed at which their own cases begin to move again.
A recall shaped by legal disputes
For months, many of these workers had been on administrative leave while the department fought a series of lawsuits over its plan to cut positions in the Office for Civil Rights, the arm of the department responsible for investigating discrimination in schools and colleges. In a letter sent on Friday, officials ordered staff to return to duty on 15 December to help address the caseload. The directive stated that the office needs all available personnel to prioritise existing complaints. AP obtained the letter.
A department spokesperson confirmed the decision and said the administration still intends to pursue the layoffs as part of a broader effort to reduce the size of the department. Julie Hartman, speaking for the department, said the government would continue to appeal litigation over the reductions in force but would use all staff currently being paid by taxpayers in the meantime. Her comments were carried by AP.
A shrinking workforce and a rising caseload
More than two hundred workers in the Office for Civil Rights had been targeted for layoffs earlier this year. Those cuts have been tied up in legal disputes since March. Although an appeals court briefly cleared the way for the reductions in September, a separate lawsuit has paused them again. AP’s reporting notes that the Education Department workforce has fallen from about 4,100 employees when Donald Trump took office to roughly half that size today, as the administration continues to signal its intention to wind down the agency.
The department has not said how many workers will return. Some who spent months on administrative leave have already left. What is clear, through AP’s analysis of department data, is the scale of the challenge that remains. When Trump took office, the Office for Civil Rights had a backlog of about 20,000 discrimination complaints. With a much smaller staff, that backlog has now grown to more than 25,000.
The role of civil rights enforcement
The Office for Civil Rights is responsible for enforcing federal laws that bar discrimination in education on the basis of disability, sex, race and religion. It has the authority to investigate complaints from students across the country and, in rare cases, withhold federal funding from institutions that fail to comply with the law. Most cases, however, are resolved through voluntary agreements. The quality and speed of this work depend on staff who can review evidence, interview families and monitor compliance across states and districts.
Trump officials have defended the cuts and argued that the office was not operating efficiently, even at full staff. But former employees have questioned whether the office can meet its legal obligations with its current staffing levels. Families who filed complaints say they have felt the consequences, with some waiting months for updates and receiving no communication from investigators. These accounts were gathered through AP interviews.
What this reveals about federal capacity
The return of laid-off workers does not resolve the long-term questions raised by this episode. It does not change the administration’s goal of shrinking the department, nor does it guarantee that future cases will be reviewed in a timely manner. What it does reveal is a tension between a political project to reduce federal involvement in education and the practical demands of civil rights enforcement. When complaints continue to rise and staff continue to fall, backlogs are not abstract metrics. They shape the experience of students who rely on federal protections to hold their schools accountable.
What comes next
Whether this recall marks a temporary measure or an early sign of strain in the broader effort to scale back the department will become clear only over time. For now, families seeking answers will watch not the announcements in Washington but the speed at which their own cases begin to move again.
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