U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon is actively working to dismantle the Department of Education by transferring its core responsibilities to other federal agencies. Through a series of interagency agreements, the administration aims to prove the standalone department is no longer necessary for the American school system.
The Department of Labor's new role in CTE and adult literacy
As reported by Fox News Digital,Secretary Linda McMahon has alrady transferred a significant block of work to the Department of Labor (DOL). Specifically, the Department of Labor is now assuming the day-to-day administration of family literacy, adult education, and career and technical education (CTE) programs.. These shifts fall under the framework of the Perkins Act and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA).
While the Department of Labor handles the operational heavy lifting,the Department of Education currently retains statutory oversight. This hybrid arrangement is designed to shift services more directly toward grant recipients and individual states, reducing the federal bureaucracy that Linda McMahon argues creates unnecessary redundancies in the system.
Treasury's takeover of federal student loan collections
Beyond workforce training, the administration is moving the financial machinery of student aid. According to the report, the Department of the Treasury has agreed to take over key operations regarding the collection of defaulted debt and the management of federal student loans. This move effectively strips the Department of Education of its role as the primary financial intermediary for student borrowing.
By moving these functions to the Department of the Treasury, Linda McMahon intends to demonstrate that the flow of funding to students and schools can remain uninterrupted without a dedicated education cabinet. The strategy trets the Department of the Treasury as a more efficient vehicle for debt collection and loan processing than the existing educational bureaucracy.
A 'proof of concept' to trigger a Congressional vote
Linda McMahon has explicitly framed these interagency agreements as a "proof of concept" intended for lawmakers. As Fox News Digital reported, the Secretary is asking Congress to allow her to demonstrate that federal support for K-12 funding and student loans will not falter if the Department of Education is closed. The ultimate goal is to secure a Congressional vote to formally abolish the agency, which would effectively allow Linda McMahon to "fire herself."
This effort aligns with a broader Trump administration philosophy that views the Department of Education as an overreach of federal power. The administration points to $3 trillion in taxes spent and stagnant proficiency scores as evidence that the current centralized model has failed. By decentralizing these functions, the administration believes it can return the "driver's seat" of education to parents and local leaders.
The legal gap between interagency agreements and a final vote
Despite the current transfers, several critical questions remain regarding the legality and execution of this plan. While Linda McMahon can sign interagency agreements to shift operational duties, she cannot unilaterally dissolve the Department of Education; that requires an act of Congress. It remains unclear how the "statutory responsibilities" currently held by the Department of Education will be legally transferred if the agency is abolished, or if new legislation would be required for every single program .
Furthermore, the report does not specify the exact metrics the administration will use to define "measurable outcomes" for students. While the Department of Education officials claim the goal is efficiency , there is no detailed roadmap on how the Department of Labor or the Department of the Treasury will handle the specific pedagogical or academic oversight previously managed by education specialists.
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