U.S. Department of Education
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2026
Education Dept. transfers Office for Civil Rights to DOJ and special education office to HHS
The U.S. Department of Education announced interagency agreements on June 16, 2026, transferring its Office for Civil Rights (OCR) to the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division under Harmeet Dhillon, and its special education oversight office (OSERS) to the Department of Health and Human Services. OCR handles discrimination complaints in K-12 and higher education; OSERS oversees implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act guaranteeing services for disabled students. Legal experts called the OCR move "illegal," saying DOJ lawyers lack specialized education-law expertise and the transfer will make it harder for students to secure relief from discrimination.
2025
Education Secretary McMahon barred Harvard from new federal grants, demanding governance overhaul and DEI compliance
On May 5, 2025, Education Secretary Linda McMahon sent Harvard President Alan Garber a letter formally announcing that the university would receive no new federal grants until it demonstrated "responsible management" and met the Trump administration's demands for governance restructuring, admissions changes, and anti-DEI compliance. The action was a prospective escalation beyond the earlier April 14 freeze of existing Harvard grants, imposing a forward-looking embargo on all new grant funding. Harvard characterized the move as retaliation for its lawsuit challenging the April freeze and called the demands an attempt to impose "unprecedented and improper control."
Secretary McMahon eliminated nearly half the Department of Education workforce, cutting ~1,950 positions across all major divisions
On March 11, 2025, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced a reduction in force eliminating nearly half the Department of Education workforce, cutting from approximately 4,133 to about 2,183 employees. The cuts eliminated staff across all major divisions including the Office for Civil Rights, the Institute of Education Sciences, Federal Student Aid, and the Office of Special Education Programs. The Department of Education's Inspector General subsequently found that some reductions appeared to impair the department's ability to carry out its statutory responsibilities.