Senate Democrats Tell McMahon to Reverse Education Program Transfers They Call Illegal

Overview

• More than 30 senators signed the Dec. 4 letter condemning Education Department agreements that shift core functions to the departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State.
• Lawmakers argue Congress has not authorized moving programs or their funding to other agencies, citing appropriations rules that restrict such transfers.
• The letter cites serious challenges with the first Labor agreement covering career and technical education and adult education as evidence of implementation problems.
• The senators demand an immediate reversal and urge the department to focus on properly carrying out federal education laws to support schools and students.
• The administration defends the plan as cutting bureaucratic bloat and returning authority to states, while critics say recipient agencies have not detailed their roles or capacity to manage the programs.