Plans for US Education Department to swallow US Labor Department?
President Trump is considering combining the U.S. Education Department and U.S. Labor Department. However, shuffling desks will not end Big Labor’s control over both Labor and Education departments. From Education Week:
The Trump administration is considering a merger of the U.S. Department of Education and the Department of Labor, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the proposal.
The plan, which would be part of a broader effort to overhaul the federal government, would require congressional approval. That’s likely to be a difficult hurdle. It could be announced as soon as a cabinet meeting scheduled for June 21.
The proposal, would fit into the president’s push, first outlined in an executive order issued last year, to overhaul the federal government, eliminate what the administration considers unnecessary agencies, components of agencies, and programs, and merge functions.
Administration officials are also considering the more limited step of moving some programs in the Labor Department over to the Education Department, sources say. The programs that would most likely get shifted to the Education Department include initiatives in the Employment and Training Agency that deal with workforce training for young people, including Job Corps and YouthBuild. The New York Times reported earlier this year that the Education Department may acquire several programs from the Labor Department.