BUZZ
Restructuring is part of Trump’s promise to get rid of the department, agency says
The Trump administration took more steps toward dismantling the Department of Education this week by giving the oversight of several programs, including the tracking of foreign donations to universities, to other agencies.
The goal is “to further break up the federal education bureaucracy, ensure efficient delivery of funded programs and activities, and continue delivering on the President’s promise to return education to the states,” the department stated in a Monday news release.
Moving forward, the Department of State will begin overseeing the reports of foreign gifts to universities. As The College Fix reported last week, recent data shows American universities have received more than $67 billion from foreign entities over the past four decades.
“Foreign gift data reported by universities should be readily accessible to our top national security experts, allowing for proactive and decisive action to protect America’s critical interests, as this partnership with State enables,” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon stated in the news release.
Meanwhile, the Health and Human Services Department will “take over grant programs that send millions of dollars to schools for safety and community engagement efforts,” the Associated Press reports.
The Education Department will still be involved in both programs for now, but President Donald Trump has said he would like to see the department eliminated entirely.
Last year, the administration shifted a number of other duties of the Education Department to different agencies, The College Fix reported at the time:
The Department of the Interior is slated to take on Indian Education programs, while foreign medical accreditation will be handled by the Department of Health and Human Services, and international education and foreign-language-studies programs overseen by the State Department.
Additionally, the administration laid off 1,300 employees and accepted hundreds of resignations and buyouts from within the department.
MORE: Trump’s Ed. Dept. moves to dismantle student voting study linked to election interference
