Sen. Elizabeth Warren asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to investigate whether staffing cuts at the U.S. Department of Education have reduced the agency’s ability to combat fraud and abuse tied to federal student aid. Warren cited GAO findings that the Office of Federal Student Aid lost about 46% of employees after mass layoffs, including staff responsible for oversight and enforcement. Warren’s letter focuses especially on compliance risk for for-profit colleges, arguing that a potential drop in enforcement could coincide with policy changes that expand eligibility of Pell Grant funds for short-term programs. She requested estimates of costs to the government tied to reduced oversight and information on changes in investigations and enforcement actions. The inquiry lands as the Trump administration continues efforts to dismantle components of the Department’s operations, alongside reported shifts to offload duties to other federal agencies under agreements that some Democrats say are unlawful.