WASHINGTON (AP) — The Education Department will relocate from its headquarters to a smaller Washington office as part of the Trump administration's dismantling of the agency, officials said Thursday.
The agency has seen its ranks thinned by mass layoffs since President Donald Trump took office and its headquarters building has been 70% vacant, the Education Department said. In its place, the Energy Department will assume the lease in the building.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon hailed it as a milestone in the administration's efforts to shutter the agency, which Trump ordered to close a year ago this month.
“Thanks to the hard work of so many, we have made unprecedented progress in reducing the federal education footprint, and now we are pleased to give this building to an agency that will benefit far more from its space than the Department of Education," McMahon said in a written statement.
The Education Department's relocation to another office space in Washington is planned for August.
Administration officials said the move would save taxpayers money by eliminating wasted space and avoiding the need for maintenance needed on the Energy Department's current headquarters building.
___
The Associated Press’ education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
