The Government Accountability Office found the Education Department’s reduction in force at the Office for Civil Rights cost up to $38 million and left the office unable to document that the cuts improved efficiency. The GAO report says OCR dismissed 90% of complaints between March and September 2025 while many staff were on administrative leave, a finding that underscores gaps in federal civil‑rights enforcement. The department’s actions, litigated in multiple suits, prompted some employees to be brought back under court order to work through a backlog of investigations. The GAO concluded the department did not document required cost‑savings analyses, weakening oversight of RIF decisions and raising questions for college compliance officers and campus civil‑rights counsels.