Department of Education Delegates Functions to Four Other Federal Agencies

On November 18, 2025, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon announced in a press release that the Department of Education has entered six interagency agreements with four federal agencies to perform functions previously within the purview of the Dept. of Ed. The Dept. of Ed. will continue to oversee the agencies’ performance of education-related administrative activities.

The directive follows President Trump’s March 20, 2025 Executive Order entitled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities,” which directed the closure of the Dept. of Ed. to the extent permitted by law.

The Dept. of Ed. will reallocate functions to other executive agencies through partnership agreements as follows:

• The Department of Labor will take on a greater role in administering K-12 programs funded under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, postsecondary education programs funded under the Higher Education Act, and workforce development programs.
• The Department of the Interior will oversee Native American education programs relating to elementary and secondary education, higher education, career and technical education, and vocational rehabilitation.
• The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will manage a new Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership to evaluate whether the standards of accreditation for foreign medical schools are comparable with the standards for medical schools in the U.S. DHHS will also be responsible for on-campus child care support for parents enrolled in college.
• The Secretary of State will oversee the programs administered under the Fulbright-Hays grant, including foreign language studies and international education.

The Dept. of Ed. previously established a partnership with the Department of Justice, called the Title IX Special Investigations Team, to process Title IX investigations previously handled exclusively by the Dept. of Ed.’s Office for Civil Rights.

The Dept. of Ed. stated it does not anticipate any adverse impact on agencies, entities, and institutions eligible for the affected programs as a result of the shift in administrative responsibilities. The agency stated that the responsible agencies will continue to administer all programs in accordance with the applicable statutory requirements.