Education Department launches hiring spree in key office, roughly a year after mass layoffs

The Trump administration is aggressively expanding hiring at the Federal Student Aid office—a division it has repeatedly targeted for elimination—despite pledges to streamline or dismantle the program. An internal presentation obtained by POLITICO reveals a sharp contrast between rhetoric and action, with plans to add staff even as officials push for major structural changes. Critics question whether the push reflects a last-minute effort to reshape the agency before potential cuts or a broader shift in policy priorities. The move underscores ongoing tensions between administrative goals and operational realities within the Education Department.

The Trump administration has launched a hiring blitz at the agency it vowed to eliminate, according to an internal presentation reviewed by POLITICO. The Education Department’s Federal Student Aid ...