WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is taking a major step to reduce the role of the U.S. Education Department by transferring several of its largest grant programs to other federal agencies.
The changes, announced Tuesday, mark a significant advance in the administration’s ongoing efforts to dismantle the department, which has primarily focused on job cuts since President Donald Trump called for its elimination in March.
Six new agreements will move billions of dollars in grant programs to other agencies. Most notably, the Department of Labor will oversee some of the largest federal funding streams for K-12 schools, including the $18 billion Title I program for schools serving low-income communities.
Opponents warn the shift could disrupt programs supporting some of the nation’s most vulnerable students. Angélica Infante-Green, Rhode Island’s K-12 education chief, noted that state officials rely on the expertise of Education Department staff to coordinate funding for children with complex needs, such as those in special education, multilingual learners, or living in poverty.
Department officials said funding levels set by Congress will remain unchanged. They did not specify whether the move would lead to additional layoffs at the department, which has already seen mass reductions and voluntary retirements.
“The Trump Administration is taking bold action to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission.”
Key areas of the department, including the $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio and funding for students with disabilities, will remain in place, although McMahon has suggested both could be better managed by other agencies. The Office for Civil Rights, which handles discrimination complaints, is also unaffected.
The new agreements follow a June pilot project that moved adult education programs to Labor. Under the current plan, Labor will now oversee nearly all K-12 and higher education grant programs, including teacher training, English instruction, and TRIO programs that help low-income students access college.
This effectively outsources the department’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and Office of Postsecondary Education, two of its largest units. However, the postsecondary office will retain oversight of student loan policy and accreditation for colleges to receive federal aid.
Other agreements assign the Department of Health and Human Services to manage a grant program for college-going parents and foreign medical school accreditation. The State Department will handle foreign language programs, while the Interior Department will oversee Native American education programs.
Union leaders warned the changes could weaken support for students and educators. “That national mission is weakened when its core functions are scattered across other federal or state agencies that are not equipped or positioned to provide the same support and services as ED staff,” said Rachel Gittleman, president of AFGE Local 252.
McMahon has criticized the department as a bloated bureaucracy, pointing to lagging student outcomes, including declining K-12 math and reading scores after pandemic restrictions. Her vision seeks to abolish the Education Department and give states more flexibility in using funds for targeted programs, although such a move would require congressional approval.
Officials say the agreements are part of a broader plan to demonstrate that America’s schools and colleges can operate without the department. McMahon plans to continue touring the country to highlight local successes and advocate for her proposals to lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
Edgardo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.
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