Federal DOE makes massive shift, moves K-12, higher education to Labor Department

The plan to scale back the Department of Education took “a major step” forward Tuesday with the announcement of six agreements with four other federal agencies to deliver services and programs. 

Notably, the Department of Labor will co-administer K-12 and higher education programs, a move that aims to produce better workforce outcomes. 

“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 in a release announcing the agreements. “Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission.”

The Labor Department partnership is designed to address “high dropout rates, low literacy levels, and poor labor force participation rates,” says a fact sheet about the new arrangement. 

“The current education system, despite vast federal investment, is not meeting the needs of Americans,” the sheet says. “By aligning learning pathways and resources, we’re laying the groundwork for a stronger, more prepared generation that is ready to meet the demands of a changing economy and be productive members of a free society.” 

The union “will create a cohesive, unified strategy for talent development to build the workforce for the Golden Age of America,” and “help states reduce slippage points in transitions between educational stages, boost literacy and numeracy skills, enhance career exploration, and ensure better alignment between education outcomes and workforce needs.” 

The move won’t impact funding to the states, but money will now come from the DOL instead of the DOE – something that prepares the way for the department’s eventual dissolution, which President Donald Trump endorsed in a March executive order. 

Other changes include: 

• The Interior Department will take over Indian Education programs, ranging from K-12 to career-technical and higher education. 

• Health and Human Services will oversee the National Committee on Foreign Medical Education and Accreditation (NCFMEA) to ensure foreign medical schools meet U.S. standards, and administration of the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program to provide coherent on-campus child care support for parents in college. 

• The State Department will administer international education and foreign language studies programs under the Fulbright-Hays grant, eliminating redundancies and allowing the department to align them with “national security and foreign policy priorities.” 

A source told CNN DOE personnel would be assigned to other agencies involved in the agreement with the DOE maintaining some oversight and leadership. It was not immediately clear if any staffing cuts were being made. 

Tuesday’s changes do not affect the DOE’s Office for Civil Rights or the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, but those functions could move to other departments in the future, a senior department official said, according to Chalkbeat. 

Although voters initially expressed skepticism about Trump’s plan to close the department, new polling released Monday by the yes. every kid foundation found a majority of voters approve of its closure once they learn what that entails. 

“Voters are telling Washington something unmistakable: Families, not bureaucrats, should be the center of education decision-making,” said Matt Frendewey, strategy vice president for the foundation, in a release. 

“When people learn they can keep every dollar, maintain every protection, and still reduce bureaucracy, a majority supports transforming the Department of Education. The appetite for bold, family-first change is larger than D.C. realizes.” 

Despite the department’s growth in size and scope over the years, America has fallen in global education rankings. Now the majority of U.S. students don’t score proficient on national tests, leading to questions about the department’s effectiveness. 

McMahon had hinted at the realignment by posting a video early Tuesday of four Republican presidents and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich saying the department should be closed in favor of state and local control. “The clock is ticking,” she wrote over the post.