In a political landscape dominated by the Jeffrey Epstein files and the downfall of former Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.), a far more systemic dismantling of sexual harassment protections has gone largely unnoticed. The federal government, which should be at the forefront of preventing workplace misconduct, has methodically stripped away the tools that hold perpetrators accountable, leaving victims to fend for themselves.
Swalwell was once a leading contender for California governor, despite widespread knowledge of his sexual harassment of young women in politics. As one of the women who helped bring him down told The Washington Post: “This is a post-Epstein world and a post-#MeToo world, so you’d think we should have learned.” Yet, the lesson remains unlearned, as over 70 percent of those who report workplace sexual harassment face retaliation, and 37 percent see their harassers go unpunished.
EEOC Abandons Its Own Guidance
In January, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) voted to rescind its Enforcement Guidance on Harassment in the Workplace, a comprehensive 2024 document that clarified what constitutes illegal harassment and how employers should prevent it. The commission offered no replacement, leaving employers without clear standards. Simultaneously, the EEOC dropped multiple cases for transgender and gender-nonconforming workers it had already taken to court, abandoning them mid-litigation.
Chair Andrea Lucas has instead pursued what critics call “profoundly unserious” cases, including one against a Coca-Cola distributor for excluding men from a women-only retreat, and another against Planned Parenthood Illinois for requiring white employees to attend diversity training that mentioned “white supremacy.” Real victims of harassment, meanwhile, struggle to find an advocate.
Education Department Gutted
The Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), tasked with investigating Title IX complaints of sexual harassment and assault in schools, has been effectively neutered. In 2025, the Trump administration laid off half of the department’s workforce, and since then, OCR has not resolved a single complaint of sexual assault, harassment, or pregnancy discrimination in K-12 programs. Before the cuts, it opened dozens of sexual violence investigations annually; since then, fewer than ten nationwide.
Immigration Detention Oversight Collapses
As the administration detains more immigrants than at any point in U.S. history, sexual assault in detention centers remains a documented crisis. Oversight mechanisms under the Prison Rape Elimination Act have been dismantled: the Department of Justice cut all funding for the law’s National Resource Center, which audited facilities for compliance, and the Department of Homeland Security eliminated its two offices that investigated detainee complaints of sexual abuse.
This pattern reflects a broader priority: protect the powerful, as seen in the Trump administration’s handling of Iran negotiations and primary battles. The administration’s actions send a clear signal that laws are meaningless without enforcement, and that the most vulnerable do not matter.
As Jason Solomon, director of the National Institute for Workers’ Rights, argues, the spotlight on Epstein and Swalwell must be used to reject this choice and demand that victims of sexual misconduct receive the priority they deserve.
