Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) celebrated Friday after the Education Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) agreed to a requested pause into the mass layoffs at the federal agency.
“I called for an independent investigation into Donald Trump's dismantling of the Department of Education, and now, it's happening,” Warren posted on social platform Bluesky.
“This investigation will reveal what's at stake for families. While Trump and Musk side with billionaires, I'll side with our kids,” she added.
In a letter obtained by NBC News, the agency’s Office of Inspector General said it would implement a “series of reviews” into the recent layoffs.
René Rocque, the department's acting inspector general, said, “A series of reviews to provide information on the Department’s programs and operations following recent workforce changes.”
Rocque added the office would investigate how the cuts affected specific parts of the department and would give suggestions to “help ensure productive and efficient operations," according to NBC News.
The investigation came after 11 Democratic senators, including Warren, wrote a letter to the office requesting a review.
On March 11, the Department of Education laid off approximately half its staff, going from more than 4,000 employees to a little more than 2,000 amid President Trump's ultimate goal of shuttering it completely.
Trump has talked about moving programs such as student loans, nutrition and initiatives for students with disabilities to different federal agencies, while millions of dollars in federal contracts have been canceled between the Education Department and education research community.
