McMahon plans to 'fire' herself out of a job, striving to show Congress that the Dept of Ed is not needed

U.S.Education Secretary Linda McMahon doubled down on closing the Department of Education (ED) as sought to demonstrate to Congress that the federal agency she leads is no longer necessary."Signing these interagency agreements means, in fact, that the Department of Education is contracting with these agencies to perform the functions that they've been given," McMahon told Fox News Digital.

"The first big block of work was transferred over to the Department of Labor."Throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, Donald Trump promised to eliminate the ED, later signing an executive order directing his administration to begin dismantling the agency.MCMAHON EMBARKS ON FOUR-STATE TOUR TO PUT LOCAL LEADERS AND PARENTS 'BACK INTO THE DRIVER’S SEAT' OF EDUCATIONEducation Secretary Linda McMahon outside the White House in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.(Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)As part of that effort, the Department of Labor (DOL) is taking on a major role in the day-to-day administration of adult education, family literacy, and career and technical education (CTE) programs under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and the Perkins Act.

While Labor manages operational duties, the Department of Education retains statutory responsibilities and oversight while shifting services to states and grant recipients."It started first with CTE — Career and Technical Education — then K–12, and finally higher education as well," McMahon said.McMahon explained that she wants to show lawmakers that federal support for students won't falter without a standalone cabinet department."I've asked Congress with this proof of concept in these interagency agreements: 'Let me prove to you that it works,'" she said."Ultimately, Congress has to vote if we do close the Department of Education and if I, in fact, am able to fire myself.

Hopefully, they will vote [for it], because I believe the outcome will be better for students — and that is the goal.That...