New reports indicate the Department of Labor “will take on a greater role” in administering some of the Department of Education’s workforce programs as part of President Donald Trump’s broader effort to shutter the Department of Education.
A Department of Education memo, first obtained by Fox News, reveals how the department plans to implement a “workforce development partnership” to provide a coordinated “federal education and workforce system.”
Fox News reports that the workforce development partnership stems from the Department of Education signing an Interagency Agreement (IAA) with the Department of Labor in May. The IAA is a tool used by government agencies to share resources, collaborate, and streamline services. However, the move was thwarted the next day in McMahon v. New York when a Massachusetts district judge granted a preliminary injunction to the plaintiffs, pausing the IAA and reinstating approximately 1,400 employees at the Department of Education.
On Monday, the Supreme Court ruled to temporarily pause the lower court’s order, allowing the Department of Education to proceed with lating off hundreds of employees.
The Department of Labor will take on a growing role in executing the day-to-day administration of the adult education and family literacy programs and Opportunity Act and career and technical education programs. While the Department of Labor manages these workforce programs, the Department of Education maintains all statutory responsibilities as well as oversight of these programs. The purpose of this move is to streamline services for states and grantees.
The Department of Education said the collaboration “marks a major step in shifting management of select ED programs to partner agencies.”
“Support from the Department of Labor in administering the Department of Education’s workforce programs is a commonsense step in streamlining these programs to better serve students, families, and educators,” McMahon added.
The Department of Education stated that the partnership comes amid a critical talent shortage, considering over one out of 10 youths between 16 and 24 are not working or in school. Furthermore, there are only two replacements for every five retirements in the skilled trades. The Trump administration touts that the partnership will help their effort in “making America skilled again.”
“Our bloated federal bureaucracy has made it increasingly difficult to administer workforce development programs effectively, and our students and workers have been left behind as a result. Under President Trump’s leadership, we are restructuring to meet the needs of our workforce,” said U.S. Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
Throughout the 2024 campaign, Trump promised to eliminate the Department of Education and in March signed an executive order directing his administration to start disbanding the department.
