Education Department hires amid shakeup

The U.S. Department of Education is recruiting for Federal Student Aid jobs after a year of cuts, court fights and repeated statements from Trump administration officials about shrinking the agency. NPR reported on May 21 that the department is seeking hundreds of workers for the student aid office after large staffing losses. The hiring push comes after the department said in March 2025 that it was cutting nearly half its workforce. It also comes as the agency continues to say it will carry out its statutory duties, including student loans and Pell Grants. ### Why is the department hiring after saying it was cutting staff? March 11, 2025, was the central break point. On that date, the Education Department said it had initiated a reduction in force affecting nearly 50% of its workforce, taking staffing from 4,133 workers to roughly 2,183. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said at the time that the department would still deliver statutory programs, including student loans, Pell Grants and competitive grants. (text.npr.org) July 14, 2025, brought a second marker. After the Supreme Court allowed the department to proceed with the reduction in force and President Donald Trump’s executive order, McMahon said the administration would keep carrying out statutory duties while “returning education authority to the states.” That left the department in the position of downsizing while still being responsible for federally mandated operations. (ed.gov) ### Why does Federal Student Aid matter inside this fight? Federal Student Aid is the office that administers federal financial aid programs under Title IV of the Higher Education Act, including grants, loans and work-study information. The department’s Federal Student Aid page says the office provides information on work-study, federal loan programs and grants. USAJOBS listings posted this month describe FSA as responsible for awarding billions of dollars in federal student aid funds. (ed.gov) March 17, 2025, underscored that the cuts reached student-aid operations. A Federal Student Aid partner notice said the department had emailed higher education stakeholders a letter from Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron about the recent reduction in force. That notice tied the downsizing directly to the Title IV system used by colleges and financial aid offices. (ed.gov) ### What evidence is there that hiring has restarted? May 2026 job postings show active recruitment tied to Federal Student Aid. USAJOBS listings published about two weeks ago include positions in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Federal Student Aid, including an IT project manager role and another FSA posting that says the office is a principal office of the department and awards billions in aid. NPR reported that the department is recruiting hundreds of workers for FSA. (fsapartners.ed.gov) April 2026 guidance also shows the office continuing routine operations. The 2026-27 Federal Student Aid Handbook is posted online, and FSA Partner Connect continues to publish operational notices for colleges, including deadlines for Federal Work-Study waiver requests. Those materials do not quantify new hires, but they show the office still running annual aid-cycle work while recruitment is underway. (usajobs.gov) ### How does this fit with the administration’s broader plans for the department? January 31, 2025, is one date often cited by opponents of dismantling the agency. A bill introduced in the House that day, H.R. 899, would terminate the Department of Education on December 31, 2026, according to Congress.gov. Separate House and Senate resolutions introduced in 2025 condemned efforts to weaken or dismantle the department. (fsapartners.ed.gov) May 18, 2026, showed the department still building new programs even after the cuts. The agency announced a final rule for the Workforce Pell Grant program, saying students will be able to receive Pell Grants for eligible short-term programs beginning July 1, 2026. That adds another major operational task for the same department now trying to rebuild staffing in student aid. (congress.gov) ### What comes next for schools and borrowers? July 1, 2026, is the next concrete date in the department’s student-aid calendar. That is when the Education Department says the new Workforce Pell Grant program will begin, expanding Pell eligibility to certain short-term programs. Colleges and financial aid administrators will also continue working through the 2026-27 Federal Student Aid Handbook and related FSA guidance as the hiring effort continues. (ed.gov)