US Education Secretary Linda McMahon has said she intends to “fire” herself by helping Congress close the Department of Education, arguing that a series of agreements transferring its work to other federal agencies will prove the department is no longer necessary.
Ms McMahon said the arrangements were designed to show lawmakers that essential services could continue without a standalone Cabinet department, while funding still reached schools, students and state authorities.
“Ultimately, Congress has to vote if we do close the Department of Education, and if I, in fact, am able to fire myself,” she told Fox News Digital. “Hopefully, they will vote [for it], because I believe the outcome will be better for students.”
Department of Education functions moved to other agencies
The Department of Labor has taken on a significant role in administering adult education, family literacy and career and technical education programmes under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act and the Perkins Act.
Under an agreement established in May 2025, Labor and Education began co-administering the Perkins V and WIOA Title II programmes. Labor is handling operational duties, while the Education Department retains statutory oversight and responsibility.
Ms McMahon said the transfer began with career and technical education, followed by kindergarten to Year 12 provision and higher education. She described the arrangements as a “proof of concept” intended to demonstrate that the federal education system could be reorganised without interrupting support.
The Department of the Treasury has also assumed operational responsibility for collecting defaulted federal student loan debt, under a partnership announced in March 2026. The Education Department said the arrangement could later extend to administrative support for non-defaulted loans and other student-aid functions, where permitted by law.
Ms McMahon has argued that many Education Department programmes duplicate work carried out elsewhere in government, or could be administered more efficiently by agencies with specialist expertise.
“Let’s make sure the money gets where it needs to go, let’s measure that by student outcomes and let’s hold teachers and administrators accountable for what they’re doing,” she said.
Congress must approve full closure
President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March 2025 directing Ms McMahon to facilitate the closure of the department and return greater authority to states and local communities. The order also called for education services and benefits to continue during any restructuring.
However, abolishing the department altogether would require action by Congress. The administration has instead begun shifting its responsibilities through interagency agreements, a strategy that has attracted opposition from lawmakers in both parties.
A bipartisan Senate committee advanced legislation in July that would block the transfer of several major education functions, including special education, higher education, elementary and secondary education, and Indian education, to other federal departments.
Ms McMahon has maintained that the changes will reduce bureaucracy and give states greater control over federal education funds. Iowa became the first state to take part in a new process allowing state officials more flexibility in how they use federal funding and reducing some compliance requirements.
She has also backed the relocation of staff from the Department of Education’s Lyndon B Johnson building, describing the move as a way to reduce costs and shrink the federal government’s education footprint.
