The Department of Education (DoE) announced on Tuesday a significant escalation of its efforts to restructure the agency, transferring much of its remaining workload to other federal departments in a bid to convince Congress that the DoE is no longer necessary.
Under an interagency agreement, six offices and programs will be moved to partner with four other cabinet-level agencies: the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS), Labor (DOL), Interior (DOI), and State (DOS).
In an interview with CNN, Education Secretary Linda McMahon confirmed the move is part of a “proof of concept” aimed at demonstrating to Congress how a permanent transfer of DoE functions would work.
The Secretary explained that the DoE has finalized six new agreements, which follow an initial move to the Department of Labor. The new transfers include:
- Two more programs moving to the Department of Labor.
- Two programs moving to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
- One program moving to the Department of State (DOS).
- One program moving to the Department of the Interior (DOI).
The Secretary stated that the goal is to show that the implementation works and that the new operational structure will be “more efficient to operate… with less bureaucracy, less regulation.”
The Secretary also addressed concerns from some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), who warned that altering the department’s core offices—which safeguard civil rights and ensure funding for students with disabilities (IDEA) and low-income communities (Title I)—without congressional oversight poses a risk.
McMahon countered this by stating that the programs cited, such as Title I and IDEA funding, existed and were handled well by states before the DoE was created. She characterized the current role of the Department of Education as merely acting as a “pass-through for that money that is appropriated from Congress.”
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