The Education Department has used nondisclosure agreements and interagency transfers while moving dozens of grant programs to other federal agencies, creating operational friction and oversight questions. Reuters and Politico report the department quietly signed pacts this year to let the Labor Department and other agencies administer $1.4 billion in career and technical education funds and related grants. Sources say NDAs were used to shield talks that are not national-security related; critics call the step unusual. Implementation problems—technical glitches, payment delays and communication lapses—have snarled grant distribution, a process made worse by the government shutdown this fall. Lawmakers and higher‑education leaders are watching closely: the moves reshape how federal higher‑education funding is administered and raise compliance and accountability issues for colleges that rely on those grants.