Education Department Moves Six Major Grant Programs to Other Agencies in Push to Shrink Federal Role

On Nov. 18, the U.S. Department of Education announced that six major federal grant programs will be transferred to the Department of Labor and several other agencies as part of an administration effort to reduce the department's role in K–12 and postsecondary education.

Under six new interagency agreements, the Department of Labor will assume responsibility for several large funding streams that have supported K–12 schools. The departments of Health and Human Services, the Interior Department and the State Department will also take on program administration for specific areas. The department described the reorganization as an effort to "break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs and move closer to returning education to the states."

The six interagency agreements

• Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership
• Postsecondary Education Partnership
• Indian Education Partnership
• Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership
• Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership
• International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership

Education Secretary Linda McMahon framed the move as cutting "layers of red tape in Washington," calling it a "bold" step to return authority to state and local leaders. McMahon said the agencies involved will work with Congress to codify any long-term changes.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March directing steps to dismantle parts of the Education Department and asked Secretary McMahon to take actions to reduce the agency's footprint where possible. Formally abolishing the department would require an act of Congress; the department was created in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter.

The announcement drew immediate criticism from teachers' unions and other education advocates, who said the transfers could weaken federal oversight and reduce support for disadvantaged students. Administration supporters and some conservative groups have long argued the department should be scaled back or eliminated; former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos publicly stated in 2022 that she believed the department "should not exist."

It is not yet clear whether the program transfers will lead to additional job cuts within the Education Department, which has already experienced staff reductions this year. The department noted archival materials and historical statements from prominent Republicans—dating back to the department’s founding—when discussing the policy shift.

Observers say the changes mark a significant reallocation of federal education responsibilities and will prompt debate in Congress, among state education authorities, and within school communities about how best to support K–12 achievement and expand college access.