Full Breakdown
Education Department Reverses Layoffs, Hires Civil Rights Attorneys to Address Backlog
4/30/2026, 3:05:56 AM
Rescinding Cuts and Restarting Hiring
Secretary Linda McMahon told the Senate Appropriations Committee that the Department of Education is “moving ahead” to clear a growing backlog of civil-rights complaints by rescinding the 2025 reductions-in-force (RIF) and hiring additional attorneys for the Office of Civil Rights (OCR). She framed the earlier cuts as “hindsight” and emphasized that the department is now “focused on doing that and moving forward.” The administration also highlighted the recent confirmation of Kimberly Richey as the top civil-rights official, noting her prior success in reducing case backlogs.
Background: Layoffs, Court Block, and Backlog
In 2025 the Education Department eliminated more than half of OCR staff and closed roughly half of its field offices as part of a broader effort to shift departmental functions to other agencies. A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the finalization of those layoffs, leading the department to place affected employees on paid administrative leave. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report later estimated that the department spent up to $38 million on that leave. The staffing reductions coincided with a sharp decline in case resolutions, prompting congressional scrutiny.
Key Figures and Groups
- Linda McMahon – U.S. Secretary of Education, overseeing the reversal of layoffs.
- Kimberly Richey – Confirmed as the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, previously acting head of OCR under the Trump administration.
- Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) – Raised concerns about the department’s failure to resolve any of the 70 Connecticut cases filed in 2025.
- Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) – Criticized interagency agreements for adding bureaucratic layers.
- Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) – Warned that the Education-Labor partnership could harm grant competitions for low-income and disabled students.
Data on the Civil-Rights Complaint Backlog
- Approximate backlog: 12,000 unresolved discrimination complaints nationwide.
- Resolved complaints in 2025: 30 % fewer than in 2024.
- Resolution agreements filed in 2025: 112, representing < 1 % of investigations.
- Fifteen states reported zero resolution agreements in 2025.
- Interagency reimbursements to the Labor Department: $262,000 for FY 2025 and $807,000 for FY 2026.
Criticism from Senators
Sen. Murphy questioned the department’s performance, asking “How do you defend that?” after noting the lack of outcomes in Connecticut. Sen. Baldwin argued that the new interagency arrangements “are making everything more complicated for states and local school districts,” and that they “create more bureaucracy, another layer of it.” Sen. Collins expressed concern that the Education-Labor partnership would “negatively affect” grant competitions and hurt current grantees in her state.
Conflicting Accounts and Gaps
- Backlog Origin: McMahon suggested the Trump administration inherited a 19,000-case backlog, while GAO data and New York Times reporting indicate the backlog surged after the 2025 OCR layoffs.
- Employee Status: The department claims all fired lawyers are being rehired, yet GAO findings show many former staff remained on paid leave rather than returning to active duty.
- Grant Timeliness: The Education Department reports no complaints about grant disbursement delays, whereas senators contend the interagency agreements have introduced new administrative hurdles.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We are moving to resolve as many cases as we can, but we are bringing back many of those lawyers, which were part of that RIF.” — Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education
- “How do you defend that?” — Chris Murphy, Senator (D-CT)
- “ “This isn’t reducing bureaucracy, it’s creating more of it, another layer of it.” — Tammy Baldwin, Senator (D-WI)
- “In my judgment, the partnership that the Department of Education has entered into with the Department of Labor negatively affects these competitions and current grantees in my state … are going to be hurt by the change in focus,” — Susan Collins, Senator (R-ME)
- “That is hindsight,” — Linda McMahon, U.S. Secretary of Education
What’s Next for the Office of Civil Rights
The Education Department plans to continue hiring civil-rights attorneys throughout 2026, with a target of restoring OCR staffing levels sufficient to process the existing backlog. Simultaneously, the department will finalize additional interagency agreements, a process that Senate leaders have pledged to monitor for potential impacts on K-12 grant delivery and compliance oversight.
