Trump Advances Plan to Eliminate Education Department/ Newslooks/ WASHINGTON/ J. Mansour/ Morning Edition/ The Trump administration is accelerating its plan to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education by transferring major grant programs to other federal agencies. Key responsibilities, including Title I funding, are moving to the Department of Labor under newly signed agreements. Critics warn the shift could disrupt support for vulnerable students.
Education Department Transition Quick Looks
- Trump intensifies efforts to shut down the Education Department
- Six interagency deals shift major programs to other departments
- Labor takes over Title I, teacher training, TRIO, and more
- Health and Human Services, State, and Interior also receive programs
- $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio remains under Education for now
- Secretary McMahon says move restores control to states
- Critics fear service disruptions, legal issues, and loss of expertise
- Student support programs risk being run by less experienced agencies
- McMahon seeks congressional approval to fully dissolve the department
- New phase includes national tour and lobbying lawmakers
Deep Look
Trump Administration Transfers Key Education Programs to Other Agencies as Department Faces Shutdown
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education is taking a major step toward closure, shifting a range of its largest federal grant programs to other government agencies as part of President Donald Trump’s longstanding push to eliminate the department.
In a sweeping set of new agreements, billions of dollars in education funding — including critical support for low-income schools and teacher development — will now be managed outside the agency. The most significant handoff is to the Department of Labor, which will assume control of Title I funding, the largest federal aid source for K-12 schools serving economically disadvantaged students.
The move represents a significant escalation in the Trump administration’s plan to dismantle the department, which began earlier this year when Trump signed an executive order calling for its closure. Since then, the department has experienced rounds of layoffs and voluntary retirements, shrinking its workforce and capacity.
“This is about breaking down the federal education bureaucracy and giving power back to the states,” said Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who has spearheaded the transition. “Cutting red tape is a crucial part of our mission.”
Major Grant Transfers Underway
The Education Department has now signed six interagency agreements that will shift key programs to other parts of the federal government. In addition to Labor assuming control of the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and much of the Office of Postsecondary Education, other moves include:
- Health and Human Services taking over grants for student parents and oversight of foreign medical school accreditation
- The State Department assuming control of foreign language programs
- The Department of the Interior managing programs that support Native American education
Together, these transfers represent a substantial outsourcing of core departmental functions. Still, two responsibilities will remain within the Education Department for now: student loan policy and college accreditation tied to federal financial aid.
Critics Raise Legal and Practical Concerns
While the administration insists that the transition will not disrupt funding flows to states or schools, opponents have voiced concerns. They warn that other departments may lack the expertise needed to manage complex education programs and that the transfer could harm vulnerable student populations, including those served by literacy and homeless education initiatives.
Some critics also question whether the move is legally permissible, as certain federal statutes explicitly require the Education Department to administer specific programs.
Nonetheless, McMahon and her team argue that the agreements are within their authority and provide a “proof of concept” to demonstrate that America’s schools can function without a standalone federal education agency. They’re urging Congress to solidify these changes through legislation — effectively completing the department’s closure.
From Consolidation to Abolition
The department’s full dissolution, including its loan servicing and disability-related programs, would still require congressional approval. But McMahon is actively building political support, planning to tour the country to showcase high-performing local schools while also lobbying lawmakers on Capitol Hill.
In public remarks, McMahon has criticized the department’s track record, claiming it has grown into a bloated and ineffective bureaucracy that hasn’t improved educational outcomes.
“Despite 45 years of federal oversight, student achievement still lags,” she said, citing post-pandemic declines in reading and math scores as evidence that states — not Washington — should lead education policy.
The plan would eventually allow states greater flexibility in spending federal education dollars, removing many of the targeted conditions currently attached to funds for literacy, teacher support, and homeless students.
What’s Next?
While the department’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio remains under its control for now, McMahon has suggested that it too could eventually be moved — potentially to the Treasury or another financial agency. The fate of special education funding also remains undecided.
The administration’s immediate goal is to reduce the department to a bare administrative core, one that only exists temporarily as programs and responsibilities shift elsewhere.
The White House sees the new agreements as a critical political step to demonstrate the department is no longer essential to the delivery of education services — a key argument in persuading Congress to vote for permanent closure.
Whether Congress will go that far remains uncertain. Many lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have historically supported the department’s work, especially its efforts in student lending and civil rights enforcement.
But with the infrastructure for dismantling the department now in motion, the Trump administration is closer than ever to realizing a vision that has long been part of conservative platforms: abolishing the Department of Education and devolving power to the states.
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