House Republicans Propose Bills to Realign Education Department’s Interagency Agreements

House Republicans introduced 10 bills to transfer U.S. Education Department's K-12 and college interagency agreements, aiming to right-size the department. Critics argue it creates bureaucracy and dismantles crucial functions, despite proponents seeing it as student-focused.

The Context of the Proposed Legislation

House Education And Learning and Labor Force Committee Chair Tim Walberg, R-Mich., questions united state Education Assistant Linda McMahon throughout a Might 14, 2026, listening to in Washington, D.C. Walberg introduced 10 bills on July 9, 2026, that would order a few of the United State Division of Education and learning’s interagency contracts with other federal agencies.
Heather Diehl by means of Getty Images

10 expenses introduced by Home Republicans seek to order most of the U.S. Department of Education’s K-12 and college interagency agreements with other federal firms. The legislative bundle announced Thursday would assist the Trump management advance its goal to “right-size” the department, according to a declaration from the office of Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., chair of the House Education And Learning and Labor Force Board.

The team downsizing additionally caused the elimination of several suboffices in 15 of the 17 workplaces within the Education and learning Division throughout that exact same timeframe, OIG stated. That consists of some that “appear to have actually been performing statutory functions or oversight and tracking functions,” stated the independent guard dog of the agency.

Criticism and Opposition to Restructuring

Rachel Gittleman, president of the American Federation of Government Personnel Resident 252, which is the union standing for present, terminated and retired Education Division workers, said in a June 10 statement that the new Republican legal bundle would certainly “create a lot more layers of bureaucracy” instead of lower federal bureaucracy.

Autonomous lawmakers have continued to knock the scaling down initiatives by the Trump management. That includes Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., placing participant of the House Education and Labor Force Committee, who stated in a July 10 statement that the 10 lately introduced bills would certainly “take apart” the Education and learning Division and “offload critical workplaces to companies that are ill-equipped to perform core duties.”

Regulations to explicitly shutter the Education and learning Department has likewise been recommended numerous times in Congress without obtaining much assistance. Closing the division would specifically require a Senate supermajority of 60 votes. The July 9 costs that would certainly order the interagency agreements do not suggest the real shuttering of the Education and learning Division.

“States, taxpayers and grantees are already paying the rate for education programs being unjustifiably moved to various other federal firms: financing delays, complication and chaos for both employees and the public, squandered taxpayer dollars, and no accountability or oversight,” Gittleman claimed. “This new regulation will not make the system a lot more reliable– it will damage it.”

Proponents’ Vision for Education Policy

Unlike the interagency agreements, the House propositions do take the continuing to be 10 interagency arrangements a step additionally by moving the Education and learning Department’s legal responsibilities for those activities to various other government companies.

“The legislative plan mirrors an easy concept: education policy should be focused on assisting students do well– not protecting a government administration for its own benefit,” Walberg said in a statement. “Instead of enabling unneeded layers of Washington administration stand between family members and the solutions they rely on, the expenses would certainly transfer crucial statutory authorities to companies better outfitted to bring them out while keeping continuity for stakeholders and students.”

In a July 9 blog post on X, United State Education Assistant Linda McMahon commended your home Education Workforce Board’s legislation announcement, calling it a “historical action to decrease government education administration.”

The OIG record added that the Education Division did not provide “corroborating proof” that it maintained carrying out certain legal duties after the March 2025 reduction-in-force, however the Education Department stated it continues to be certified with its legal responsibilities.

The expenses, however, do not consist of the Education and learning Division’s June 16 interagency agreements to move a few of its special education shows and particular civil rights activities to the U.S. Department of Health and Person Solutions and the United State Division of Justice, respectively.

Impacts and Future Implications

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The 10 costs signal that some Republican politicians in your house are looking to seriously back the Trump administration’s initiatives to outsource the Education Department’s duties and inevitably shutter the agency.

Other major initiatives to scale down the Education Division came in 2015 when the agency lowered its personnel from 3,902 to 1,579 in between Jan. 20, 2025, and March 31, 2025– a 40% cut of its overall workforce, according to a June record from the department’s Office of Assessor General.