Overview
- The Education Department signed six agreements moving major programs to Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State, including Title I and most K‑12 grants, TRIO and other higher‑ed awards, the Office of Indian Education, campus child care, foreign medical‑school oversight, and international‑education grants.
- McMahon said federal funding will continue and described the effort as ending federal “micromanagement,” adding she has spoken with dozens of lawmakers about codifying successful transfers.
- State responses are split, with leaders in places like California and Wisconsin warning of duplication and confusion, while officials in Indiana, Virginia and Arizona say schools can adapt or welcome more state control.
- Critics including former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings and some Republicans such as Sen. Lisa Murkowski argue shifting programs won’t cut bureaucracy and could erode expertise and protections for vulnerable students.
- The department remains pared back after large staff reductions and a shutdown furlough of most employees, and although key funding streams are moving, the agency retains oversight duties as full abolition would require congressional action.