Massive Restructuring Plan Underway to Transfer ED Programs to Other Federal Agencies
The White House has announced plans to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) by transferring its programs and responsibilities to other federal agencies, signaling a major restructuring aimed at shrinking the federal education bureaucracy.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon outlined a strategy to move key programs such as TRIO, Pell Grants, and minority-serving institutions support to agencies including the Departments of Labor, State, and Interior.
McMahon described the moves as a way to “streamline bureaucracy” and improve service delivery by leveraging partner agencies’ expertise while reducing redundant functions within ED.
The Department of Labor will oversee most higher education-related programs, whereas State will manage education grants related to international and foreign languages, and Interior will handle Indian Education and tribal college programs.
The plan follows a 43-day federal government shutdown in 2025, which McMahon cited as evidence that ED’s diminished presence would not impair essential services and that education governance should be returned to states and localities.
However, Democrats and education advocates argue that Congress alone holds the authority to close the Department of Education and condemn these actions as an attempt to undermine federal oversight and harm students.
Some grant programs are being defunded amid the transfers, raising concerns about their ongoing operations and funding continuity in new environments.
Major offices including the Office for Civil Rights and Federal Student Aid remain under ED for now, though discussions continue regarding their future status.
This restructuring represents the most aggressive attempt to date to reduce ED’s federal footprint, following President Trump’s 2025 executive order directing closure “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.”
