Several more Department of Education functions will be moved to other federal agencies as part of the ongoing effort to dismantle the department and save taxpayer dollars, a senior department official said Nov. 18.
Education programs in tribal schools will be moved to the Department of the Interior, which will become “the key point of contact” for tribes and Native American students, the release said.
Health and Human Services will take over the accreditation process for foreign medical schools, as well as the federally funded child-care programs that serve parents enrolled in college.
The State Department will take over international education and foreign language studies programs.
The senior official did not disclose the estimated savings of these measures, which the department called “interagency agreements.” They did not say whether there will be further layoffs in the department, but indicated that some employees will transfer to other agencies, which was the case with workforce development specialists who moved to the Department of Labor.
In the news release, Education Secretary Linda McMahon said these are further steps to break up the federal education bureaucracy and ultimately return education to the states.
“Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission. As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms. Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools—ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system.”
The senior official said the department is still looking at ways to streamline the agency’s Office for Civil Rights. McMahon previously said she would consider moving that function to the Department of Justice.
McMahon has already laid off half of her department’s staff and previously announced that the agency’s special education functions will be moved to the Department of Health and Human Services, while the Small Business Administration will take over student loans.
The senior official noted that while eliminating the department is ultimately up to Congress, these agency partnerships by the executive branch are allowed under the Economy Act. It’s been applied on more than 200 occasions, including with President Joe Biden’s First Step Act criminal justice reform measures.
