The U.S. Department of Education announced new partnerships that transfer responsibility for several federal programs to the Departments of State and Health and Human Services, marking a deliberate shift in how Washington manages education oversight. Secretary Linda McMahon said the moves are intended to “break up the federal education bureaucracy,” with HHS assuming programs such as Project SERV, Full-Service Community Schools and Promise Neighborhoods and the State Department helping manage Section 117 foreign-gift reporting. The Education Department has stood up nine interagency partnerships since November, signaling an operational realignment rather than a single-program handoff. The changes matter to colleges and universities because Section 117 foreign-funding reviews and federal school-safety supports touch compliance obligations, reporting workflows and campus risk management. The State Department will assist with the Section 117 portal and threat assessments, which could change review timelines and data-sharing practices for institutions. HHS’s takeover of safety and community-support programs could shift technical assistance, grant management, and service delivery models away from Education’s existing infrastructure. Republican appointees and Education officials framed the moves as efficiency gains; Senate Democrats have countered with oversight questions. On Feb. 23, a group of Senate Democrats asked the Government Accountability Office to examine whether the department’s changes amount to a broader dismantling of Education’s functions — a probe that could force further congressional scrutiny and slow implementation.