Education Secretary Linda McMahon explains why the Trump administration is moving to shift more education control to states but stresses that federal funding and oversight will continue on ‘The Story.’

FIRST ON FOX - The Department of Education (ED) announced Thursday it will move to a smaller building to reduce the agency's footprint as part of its broader effort to dismantle itself.

Department staff will move out of the Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters building so the Department of Energy can eventually move in by August. 

The move is what the officials call "a prudent step to save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and further reduce the federal education bureaucracy."

The ED said its relocation will save taxpayers approximately $4.8 million annually in operating costs and eliminate wasted space in a building that is about 70% vacant. 

TRUMP ADMIN CUTS RED TAPE AS IOWA JOINS EFFORT TO RETURN EDUCATION TO STATES

A Department of Education sign is displayed outside the federal student aid office May 18, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Kevin Carter/Getty Images)

"One year ago, President Trump signed one of the most consequential executive orders of his presidency to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states," Education Secretary Linda McMahon said. 

The Trump administration announced last week an interagency agreement between the ED and the Department of Treasury, with an official calling it the "largest" step to shutting the agency down.

The official previously told Fox News Digital that staff is working to put themselves out of a job under President Donald Trump's orders because the agency is not needed.

A Department of Education official told Fox News Digital that staff is working to put themselves out of a job under President Donald Trump's orders because the agency is not needed. (Alejandra Villa Loarca/Newsday RM via Getty Images)

This agreement follows nine agency partnerships over the past year as the Department of Education seeks to minimize itself, shifting power from some of its offices and programs to other federal agencies.

MCMAHON SAYS GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN PROVED SCHOOLS DON'T NEED FEDERAL OVERSIGHT AT ALL

While Congress holds the key to shutting the operation down for good, McMahon plans to show legislators that the interagency agreements are "proof of concept" that the ED is not needed for federal grant aid and federal student loans to continue flowing to borrowers.

Throughout the 2024 campaign, candidate Trump promised to eliminate the Department of Education and signed an executive order directing his administration to start disbanding it. 

MCMAHON RECOUNTS STORY OF REASSURING PARENT OF SPECIAL NEEDS THAT FUNDING WILL CONTINUE AS DEPARTMENT SHRINKS

The U.S. Department of Education headquarters building in Washington, D.C.  (J. David Ake/Getty Images)

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Joshua Q. Nelson is a reporter for Fox News Digital.

Joshua focuses on politics, education policy ranging from the local to the federal level, and the parental uprising in education.

Joining Fox News Digital in 2019, he previously graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Political Science and is an alum of the National Journalism Center and the Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program. 

Story tips can be sent to joshua.nelson@fox.com and Joshua can be followed on Twitter and LinkedIn. 

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