Overview
- Education officials signed six agreements shifting major functions to Labor, Health and Human Services, Interior and State, including moving administration of Title I and other large K-12 grants to the Labor Department.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon says funding will continue uninterrupted and reports speaking with dozens of lawmakers as she seeks to have Congress codify the transfers.
- Reuters reports the department is using non-disclosure agreements during the reorganization, with some staff already working at Labor and broader relocations expected around January.
- State chiefs and school leaders warn the dispersion will add layers of bureaucracy and risk disrupting services for vulnerable students, while Democrats and some Republicans question oversight and agency capacity.
- Legal experts describe the approach as a gray area since only Congress can abolish the department, and critics point to prior staffing cuts and the loss of specialized expertise as programs move to other agencies.