The U.S. Department of Education is sending higher‑education grant staff to the Labor Department as part of an interagency agreement that shifts administration of several postsecondary grant programs. ED will retain budget authority and program priorities while Labor assumes day‑to‑day grant management and payment processing, officials said in a departmental release. The staff detail affects employees in ED’s Higher Education Programs Division; Labor will move grantees onto its payment systems and issue additional guidance, ED said. Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education David Barker framed the move as an effort to “create a better coordinated federal approach to postsecondary education and workforce development.” Union leaders and higher‑ed advocates warned the transfer risks diluting educational expertise and weakening oversight of programs that support student success and minority‑serving institutions. Rachel Gittleman, president of the union representing ED employees, said the move could lead to “confusion for grantees and chaos for staff” and increase fraud and waste risks.