(MENAFN) The US Department of Education announced Tuesday that it is transferring many of its functions to other federal agencies, the latest step in President Donald Trump’s effort to scale down the department.

Trump signed an executive order in March calling for the department’s closure, though Congress must authorize such a move. Education Secretary Linda McMahon acknowledged this while unveiling the latest “bold action” to wind down the agency.

“Cutting through layers of red tape in Washington is one essential piece of our final mission," she said in a statement.

"As we partner with these agencies to improve federal programs, we will continue to gather best practices in each state through our 50-state tour, empower local leaders in K-12 education, restore excellence to higher education, and work with Congress to codify these reforms.

Together, we will refocus education on students, families, and schools – ensuring federal taxpayer spending is supporting a world-class education system," McMahon added.

Details on how the office transfers reduce “red tape” remain unclear, but the plan relies on six interagency agreements with the Labor, Interior, and State Departments, as well as Health and Human Services, to move some offices under their oversight.

Under the agreements, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education and parts of the Office of Postsecondary Education will be jointly managed by the Labor and Education Departments. The Office of Indian Education will transfer to the Interior Department.

Health and Human Services will oversee child care access and foreign education programs, including evaluating accreditation standards for foreign medical schools.

The State Department will take on foreign-language education partnerships and assume a larger role in administering the Fulbright-Hays grant program.

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