EXCLUSIVE: Education Department Reassigns Responsibility to Partner Agency

FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—The Department of Education is taking its next steps in transferring its workforce development program to the Labor Department.

The Department of Education and Labor Department are integrating the federal government’s education and workforce portfolio by “launching a new, integrated state plan portal that will streamline several federal workforce programs into one agency,” according to a news release obtained by The Daily Signal.

“The Trump administration is committed to ensuring that all Americans are prepared for a fulfilling and meaningful career,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said in the statement. “I am confident that the Department of Labor is well positioned to cooperatively administer, implement, and streamline these critical career and adult education programs.”

This marks a significant step in the effort to reassign some Education Department functions to other agencies. President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March authorizing McMahon to do everything in her power to dismantle the Department of Education.

The Education Department will continue to support the workforce development program by transferring program funds, detailing staff to Labor, and co-administering core programs.

‘“To prepare our next generation of American workers, the Trump administration is taking decisive action to streamline unnecessary bureaucracy and advance the skills needed to fill jobs of the future,” Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer said in a statement. 

The change positions Labor as the headquarters for all federal workforce programs and executes the two agencies’ joint workforce development agreement.

“The Department of Labor has an exciting and important role to play here,” Chavez-DeRemer said, “and I’m honored to team up with Secretary McMahon and our state partners to better connect workers with the training they need to find in-demand, mortgage-paying jobs.” 

On May 21, the Labor and Education departments signed an Interagency Agreement to share resources, collaborate, and ensure efficient service delivery.

A Massachusetts district judge initially blocked the move through a preliminary injunction, pausing the agreement and reinstating approximately more than 1,300 laid off employees.

But after the Supreme Court ruled to temporarily pause the lower court’s order in July, the Education and Labor departments announced Labor would take “a greater role in administering” programs that support career and technical education funded by the $1.4 billion Perkins program, and adult education and family literacy programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

The Perkins program is the main federal funding stream for career and technical education. The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is the federal law that funds and coordinates job training and workforce development programs.

The integrated state plan portal is a content management system that improves the process of creating, reviewing, and managing the state plans associated with all core Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs.

Adult education and Perkins Career and Technical Education grantees will now be able to use Labor’s Payment Management System. This aligns the grants management and payment systems across the two agencies’ education and workforce programs. 

The federal education and workforce system created by the move is consistent with Trump’s Executive Order “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future,” according to the Education Department.

States can expect additional guidance from both departments as the move is implemented. States and grantees with immediate questions can reach out to their respective Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration or Education Department Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education points of contact, the news release said.

“Thanks to our workforce development partnership, states will now be able to more easily and efficiently administer their programs,” McMahon said. “I am proud to work alongside Secretary Chavez-DeRemer as we continue to implement commonsense reforms that will better serve students, families, and states.”

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