# Trump Nominates Education Inspector General

President Donald Trump nominated Mark Priebe to lead the Department of Education Office of Inspector General after withdrawing Heidi Semann’s nomination on September 17. The succession adds to frequent leadership changes at the watchdog office, which has reported staffing-related limits on legally required work and restricted access to information and personnel. For contractors and procurement teams, leadership and capacity at Education OIG matter because they can affect the continuity of audits, investigations, and other oversight involving departmental programs and awards.

- Contractors supporting Education programs should maintain complete, accessible records and be prepared to respond to oversight inquiries; the reported access and staffing constraints could affect the timing or continuity of reviews.
- Procurement officials may need to account for potential oversight capacity constraints when planning audit coordination and resolving information requests. The signal does not identify specific contract changes or new requirements.
- Priebe’s nomination does not itself establish a confirmed start date or a change in oversight policy; the office’s reported constraints are the concrete operational concern for industry stakeholders.

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Education
**Topics:** Regulatory Compliance
**Published:** September 30, 2026

### Government Entities
- U.S. Department of Education Office of Inspector General (Education OIG)

### Key Quotes
> If a new administration comes in and says we want all of our own IGs, that's fine. I really think that the executive branch should have some say over their policies and their procedures and how they enact that.
> — Mark Priebe, nominee for Education Inspector General

### Sources
- [Trump’s new Education IG nominee continues dizzying run of leadership changes at the watchdog office  - Government Executive](https://www.govexec.com/oversight/2026/09/trumps-new-education-ig-nominee-continues-dizzying-run-leadership-changes-watchdog-office/416351) - GovExec.com