Trump Administration Pushes Forward With Plan To Break Apart The Department of Education

Donald Trump’s administration took its most sweeping step yet toward breaking apart the U.S. Department of Education, making a major announcement that several core responsibilities will no longer live under one roof.

Instead, major federal education programs are being reassigned to a variety of agencies across Washington.
According to the announcement, large K-12 and higher-education grant programs, including major funding streams for low-income schools, will now fall under the Department of Labor. The Department of the Interior will handle certain programs serving Native American students, while agencies like Health and Human Services and the State Department will absorb additional duties tied to oversight and international education.

Trump’s team framed the move as a push to reduce federal oversight and streamline operations, saying states should have greater control and that a smaller central department is the long-term goal. While this restructure does not officially dissolve the Education Department, it significantly reduces its reach and marks the administration’s clearest effort to reshape how the federal government handles education.

Education advocates and civil-rights groups immediately raised concerns that shifting programs into agencies without deep educational expertise could weaken protections for vulnerable student communities. Others questioned whether such large transfers should involve more congressional oversight, since only Congress has the authority to eliminate a federal department entirely.

Still, Trump’s administration signaled that this is only the beginning. Officials described the changes as part of a broader plan to scale back federal involvement in classrooms nationwide, a plan they believe will continue gaining momentum.

For now, the Education Department remains in place, but its responsibilities are being scattered across multiple agencies, marking a historic shift in federal education policy.