Roughly a tenth of employees in the office overseeing federal student loans take buyouts
February 20, 2025
Zachary Schermele
An internal list shows 124 staffers at the Federal Student Aid office enrolled in the Trump administration’s deferred resignation program. Some worry about a loss of “institutional memory.”
WASHINGTON – The main government office that helps students pay for college will be reduced by roughly a tenth of the employees it had last year following Trump administration buyouts.
An internal list reviewed by USA TODAY shows 124 Federal Student Aid office workers enrolled in the so-called “deferred resignation program.” The offer promised full pay and benefits through Sept. 30 to eligible staffers across the federal workforce. There were 1,444 employees at FSA in 2024, according to the office’s annual report.
FSA, an arm of the U.S. Department of Education, distributes financial help to roughly 10 million students yearly and oversees the government’s nearly $2 trillion federal student loan portfolio.
