The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) advanced the Trump administration’s long-stated plan to unwind the agency on Tuesday by announcing a set of interagency agreements that shift several of its grant programs to other federal departments. The move represents the most concrete effort to date to distribute the agency’s core responsibilities across the federal government and reduce its operational footprint.
Under the new structure, six DOE programs will now fall under the oversight of four separate federal departments: Health and Human Services (HHS), the Interior Department (DOI), the Labor Department (DOL), and the State Department. Administration officials framed the transfers as part of a broader strategy to scale back federal involvement in education and return greater authority to states and local communities.
Two major programs are moving to HHS. The first supports college students who are parents and need access to childcare, a resource the administration argues is more closely aligned with the health and family-services mission of HHS. The second involves oversight of foreign medical school accreditation, a responsibility that federal officials believe fits more naturally within HHS’s existing regulatory and international health-education portfolio.
The Interior Department will assume responsibility for programs serving Native American students. These programs, which have long operated within a unique and complex federal-tribal framework, are expected to integrate with existing DOI efforts focused on tribal affairs and community development.
The Labor Department is taking over the DOE’s K-12 and post-secondary education office. By relocating these functions to an agency historically connected to workforce development, administration officials argue they can better align educational programs with pathways into employment, job training, and economic opportunity.
Foreign language and international education programs will now fall under the State Department, which already manages many U.S. cultural, language, and international exchange initiatives. Officials say the move will consolidate federal expertise in language acquisition and global education under a single department with diplomatic reach.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon framed the transfers as part of a government-wide effort to shrink bureaucracy, promote state-level decision-making, and streamline how federal funds reach students. She emphasized that the department is working with other agencies to implement the changes and is continuing to collect feedback from state leaders as part of an ongoing national tour focused on local education governance and school performance.
Advocates aligned with the administration described the shift as a meaningful recalibration of federal involvement in schooling. Supporters argue that relocating programs to agencies with related missions will shorten administrative processes and make it easier for parents, teachers, and local officials to navigate federal support systems. They also contend that reducing the size of the DOE could increase flexibility for states seeking to set their own educational priorities.
Despite these broad changes, the DOE will retain oversight of two of its most significant responsibilities: the management of roughly $1.6 trillion in federal student loans and the distribution of funds that support students with disabilities. These areas, officials say, require continuity and specialized expertise that will remain housed within the department for the foreseeable future.
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