The Trump administration on Tuesday announced new interagency partnerships that will shift key U.S. Department of Education functions, including special education oversight and civil rights enforcement, to other federal agencies, further advancing President Donald Trump's push to shrink the department.
The move, outlined in U.S. Department of Education fact sheets and a June 16 letter from Education Secretary Linda McMahon, transfers civil rights enforcement and student privacy-related work to the Justice Department, while special education oversight shifts to the Department of Health and Human Services.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has raised concerns about the broader restructuring, pushing for a Government Accountability Office (GAO) investigation into the transfers and arguing that key programs are being moved to agencies without relevant expertise.
The administration has framed the transition as a strategic partnership designed to reduce bureaucracy and improve coordination. However, the move brings the administration closer to Trump's long-standing goal of dismantling the Education Department, though fully eliminating the agency would still require Congressional approval.
Will Student Protections Weaken?
Critics worry the changes could complicate protections for students with disabilities and make enforcement more difficult as responsibilities are split across multiple agencies.
Previously, families could appeal to the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights when facing discrimination issues. With oversight now fragmented, the process could become more difficult.
Special Ed Oversight Raises Concerns
With special education oversight moving to the Department of Health and Human Services, advocates fear students with disabilities could be viewed through a medical rather than educational lens.
"When that mindset drives education decisions, students are more likely to be segregated, underestimated or treated as separate from the school community," Robyn Linscott, education policy director at The Arc of the United States, told The Associated Press.
Trump's Education Overhaul Expands
The latest move builds on Trump's March 2025 executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to take "all necessary measures" to facilitate the department's dissolution and return educational authority to the states.
The White House has already reduced the department's workforce from 4,133 to 2,183 employees, reflecting Trump's broader restructuring agenda.
The overhaul extends beyond special education and civil rights. The administration has also begun shifting student loan-related functions, including default collections, to other agencies, including the Treasury Department. More than 60 Democratic lawmakers, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, recently urged the administration to cancel student debt for eligible borrowers, warning that ongoing policy changes could increase financial strain for millions of Americans.
