Overview
- New interagency agreements move major K‑12 and higher‑education grant programs to Labor, HHS, Interior and State, including Title I funding, TRIO, GEAR UP, CCAMPIS, Indian education, and international education programs.
- The Department of Labor will co‑manage the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and assume a larger role over the Office of Postsecondary Education, while Interior takes Indian education and State oversees foreign language and international education.
- The Education Department says it will maintain statutory responsibilities and program oversight and will detail staff to receiving agencies, with officials indicating no new layoffs tied to Tuesday’s transfers.
- Student loans remain under the Education Department for now, and decisions are still pending on civil rights and special education functions.
- The administration cites the Economy Act as its legal basis, but lawmakers, unions and legal experts are preparing challenges, noting that only Congress can abolish the agency and warning of service disruptions for vulnerable students.