ED Officials Urge Congress to Back Interagency Agreements

Department of Education (ED) Secretary Linda McMahon, joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, and other administration leaders, sent a letter to congressional leadership calling on them to support the administration's efforts to dismantle ED through interagency agreements (IAAs).

The letter aims to counter "misconceptions" that have circulated about ED's 14 IAAs, arguing the agreements have driven stronger grant competitions, streamlined government operations, and produced better outcomes for Americans. As an example, officials pointed to the FSA-Treasury agreement working to automate the loan rehabilitation process and improve defaulted borrowers' transition to income-driven repayment by allowing them to import IRS financial data.

The letter comes as House and Senate committees diverge on the issue, with the House Education & Workforce Committee advancing legislation to transfer ED responsibilities to other agencies, while the Senate HELP Committee advanced legislation that would prohibit transferring certain offices, including the Office of Postsecondary Education, out of ED.

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Jody Feder