Education Department hands off more of its responsibilities to other U.S. agencies
Source: Los Angles Times/AP
Feb. 23, 2026 4:30 PM PT
WASHINGTON — The Education Department is handing over more of its programs and grants to other federal agencies, announcing a pair of new agreements Monday that move the Trump administration closer to its goal of shutting down the department.
Under one interagency agreement, the Health and Human Services Department will take over grant programs that send millions of dollars to schools for safety and community engagement efforts. Another calls for the State Department to take over a portal that tracks foreign gifts to universities.
“As we continue to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states, our new partnerships with the State Department and HHS represent a practical step toward greater efficiency, stronger coordination, and meaningful improvement,” Education Secretary Linda McMahon said in a statement.
President Trump and McMahon have acknowledged only Congress has authority to close the Education Department fully, but both have suggested its core functions could be parceled out to different federal agencies.
Read more: https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2026-02-23/education-department-hands-off-more-of-its-responsibilities-to-other-u-s-agencies