Trump admin takes major step toward dismantling Department of Education

The Trump administration is advancing its plan to dismantle the Department of Education, seeking to return more power to the states.

The department announced on Tuesday that it had entered into six new interagency agreements with four government agencies to "break up the federal education bureaucracy" and "ensure efficient delivery of funded programs."

'What we want to do is to show Congress that this implementation works.'

These new agreements involved partnerships with the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State.

"Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission," Secretary of Education Linda McMahon said. "As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms. Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools — ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system."

The Education Department and the DOL will establish the Elementary and Secondary Education Partnership, which aims to "empower parents and states" to promote improvements in the education system that will better serve students.

"DOL will take on a greater role in administering federal K-12 programs, ensuring these programs are better aligned with workforce and college programs to set students up for success at every part of their education journey," a press release from the Education Department read.

A separate partnership with the DOL aims to improve postsecondary education and workforce development programs. The Labor Department will administer grant programs to "help students from all walks of life obtain the credentials and career training they need to prosper and contribute to the American economy."

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The Department of the Interior will work with the Education Department to establish the Indian Education Partnership to improve Native American education.

"Through a vital partnership with the Department of Education, the Department of the Interior will assume administration for enhancing Indian education programs, streamlining operations, and refocusing efforts to better serve Native youth and adults across the nation," Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum stated.

The HHS will establish the Foreign Medical Accreditation Partnership to assess whether the standards of foreign medical schools are comparable to U.S. standards.

"Medical education must incorporate timely, rigorous science on nutrition, metabolism, and all medical subjects. [HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] is leading the charge with American medical schools and HHS will encourage foreign medical schools through this partnership," Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Jim O'Neill stated.

HHS will also create the Child Care Access Means Parents in School Partnership to improve on-campus child care programs for parents attending college.

Lastly, the State Department will set up the International Education and Foreign Language Studies Partnership "to streamline international education program funding and data collection measures, consolidate program management, and advance national security interests."

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McMahon told CNN on Wednesday that these partnerships are not yet ready to implement but are in the "beginning stages" of establishing interagency agreements.

She acknowledged that the Trump administration would need congressional approval to make these moves permanent, adding that the current goal is to demonstrate that the changes will be effective.

"What we want to do is to show Congress that this implementation works," McMahon told CNN.

Randi Weingarten, the head of the American Federation of Teachers, has previously pledged to take legal action against the Trump administration's attempts to dismantle the Education Department.

Freedom Foundation CEO and Teacher Freedom Alliance President Aaron Withe responded to the Education Department's latest "bold action" and the union's roadblocks, in a statement emailed to Blaze News.

"President Trump is delivering on his promise to dismantle the federal education bureaucracy, and who is leading the opposition? Randi Weingarten and the teachers' unions," Withe stated. "The teachers' unions have enjoyed unprecedented power over this department since Jimmy Carter created it as a political favor to the [National Education Association]. They've had decades to deliver results. Instead, American students keep falling further behind while spending keeps going up."

"The unions oppose these reforms because they threaten the special access they've enjoyed for too long," Withe continued. "Well, that era is over. Parents, students, and local communities deserve better than a system designed to serve union bosses. The Freedom Foundation applauds President Trump and Secretary McMahon for taking bold action to break up this failed bureaucracy and return control of education where it belongs."

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