The Trump administration formally moved to redistribute core functions of the U.S. Department of Education across multiple agencies, and state chiefs and tribal leaders immediately pushed back. Washington, California and Maryland officials warned the breakup will add layers of bureaucracy and complicate grant management. Tribal leaders said the department violated statutory consultation requirements when it handed Native education programs to Interior and Labor. The Education Department signed interagency agreements to move programs to Labor, HHS, State and Interior in the wake of the government shutdown. State education chiefs said the change was announced without adequate engagement and will create confusion for districts that rely on a single federal interlocutor. Tribal leaders and the American Indian Higher Education Consortium flagged unanswered questions around funding flows for Tribal Colleges and Universities. Tribes say legal consultation obligations were ignored. Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Steve Sitting Bear said the transfer “brings no additional support to our schools, and merely shifts us from one inadequate system to another,” signaling potential litigation and further federal oversight scrutiny. The Education Department has said it will continue to engage tribes and stakeholders as the transition proceeds.