{"id":559,"date":"2026-07-20T20:12:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T20:12:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marketrelocationreport.com\/?p=559"},"modified":"2026-07-20T20:12:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T20:12:37","slug":"labor-nominee-defends-administrations-strategy-for-shifting-education-department-work-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marketrelocationreport.com\/?p=559","title":{"rendered":"Labor nominee defends administration\u2019s strategy for shifting Education Department work"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

President Donald Trump\u2019s pick to lead the Labor Department on Thursday defended the agency\u2019s major role in a broader drive by the administration to dismantle the Education Department.<\/p>\n

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Grilled by Senate Democrats, acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling stood behind the multiple interagency agreements, or IAAs, Education has so far signed with Labor, likening his agency\u2019s functions in the transfer to a \u201cfirm that\u2019s just consulting and helping them move these programs\u2019 money, but not the actual programs themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

The agreements \u2014 also made with the departments of Health and Human Services, State, Treasury, Interior and Justice \u2014 are a main part of the Trump administration\u2019s plan to axe the 46-year-old Education Department.<\/p>\n

Sonderling appeared before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in his bid to serve as the next Labor secretary, where he touted his extensive Labor Department experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cFew people have had the opportunity to experience the department from so many different perspectives, from the outside in private practice, as a policy adviser, as an agency head, as an adjunct professor, as deputy secretary, as acting secretary, and now as the nominee for Labor secretary,\u201d he said. \u201cThese experiences have prepared me to lead this department with a deep understanding of its mission, its people, and most importantly, the Americans we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Floridian took on the role as acting secretary in April after Lori Chavez-DeRemer resigned amid misconduct allegations.<\/p>\n

Sonderling was also named by the president in June to serve as acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics and was confirmed by the Senate in March 2025 as deputy labor secretary.<\/p>\n

The committee will vote July 23 on whether to advance Sonderling\u2019s nomination to the full Senate.<\/p>\n

“It makes zero sense”<\/strong><\/p>\n

At the hearing, a handful of Democrats dug into the Trump administration\u2019s continued dismantling of the Education Department and Labor\u2019s role in several of Education\u2019s programs.<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, you are working with (Education) Secretary (Linda) McMahon to take over the Department of Education programs to help Trump abolish that department,\u201d said Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who noted that Sonderling has built his \u201cown anti-worker record at DOL.\u201d<\/p>\n

Murray pointed out that \u201cit makes zero sense that DOL, an agency whose expertise is in supporting wage earners and job seekers, is being tasked now with taking over complex education programs from the Department of Education to help kindergartners and elementary school students.\u201d<\/p>\n

Through multiple IAAs, the Department of Labor is taking on expanded roles in administering Education\u2019s programs surrounding elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education and career, technical and adult education.<\/p>\n

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The Education Department has stressed in fact sheets that it would maintain its statutory responsibilities and oversight of the programs covered by the IAAs.<\/p>\n

In the House, a package of 10 bills permanently transferring several of Education\u2019s functions to other departments and largely reflecting many of the earlier IAAs advanced out of the House Committee on Education and Workforce on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

Programs still run by “career experts”<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sonderling stood behind the administration\u2019s efforts, saying \u201cit makes a lot of sense\u201d for DOL to handle more grant responsibilities and work with Education.<\/p>\n

The nominee also emphasized that the interagency agreements are \u201cnot dealing with policy,\u201d but instead with providing the Department of Education \u201ca service.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., said the Trump administration\u2019s scattering of education programs across the federal government, including at DOL, creates a system that\u2019s \u201cmuch more complicated and much less efficient, particularly for states and public school districts.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Sonderling argued that those programs \u201cstill all remain\u201d at the Education Department and are \u201cbeing run by career experts\u201d there.<\/p>\n

He added that \u201cfor efficiency purposes, we\u2019ve moved a few tranches of employees to the Frances Perkins Building (DOL\u2019s headquarters), where they all have their own offices, they all have their own computers, they have parking, and they are working out of that building.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pressed by Baldwin on any evidence he would present showing that \u201ctransferring these programs to the Department of Labor has made anything better for students, teachers, parents,\u201d Sonderling expressed his commitment to providing the senator with that data.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere’s a right way to do reform \u2014 come to the committee and say, \u2018Hey, look, this is in statute but there\u2019s a better way to do it, so let\u2019s work on a better way to do it,\u2019\u201d said Sen. Tim Kaine.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wrong way to do it is to treat the (Education Department) like it\u2019s a furniture store and having a discount going out of business sale and hand off pieces willy-nilly to agencies that don\u2019t have the expertise to deal with them,\u201d the Virginia Democrat said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s my concern about what\u2019s happening right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Keith Sonderling argued the Labor Department is providing administrative support, not taking over policy, as Democrats questioned whether moving education programs across agencies will improve outcomes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":538,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-559","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-management"],"yoast_head":"\nLabor nominee defends administration\u2019s strategy for shifting Education Department work - Market Relocation Report<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/marketrelocationreport.com\/?p=559\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Labor nominee defends administration\u2019s strategy for shifting Education Department work - 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