Challenges and Controversies
• In 2013, ESDC faced scrutiny over a lost hard drive containing personal information of 583,000 student loan borrowers, raising privacy concerns.
• Recent audits have highlighted issues like mismanagement in passport services and a controversial $39 million program that doubled grants for women apprentices, where some men self-identified as female to qualify, prompting fairness complaints.
• Spending on consultants tripled to $311 million in a single year, despite a workforce of 34,000, raising questions about resource allocation.