Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a new job: Overseeing critical education and nutrition programs for vulnerable American students as the Department of Education begins winding down operations.
The Department of Health and Human Services will assume responsibility for “special needs [students] and all the nutrition programs and everything else,” as part of the broader reorganization of education functions across the federal government.
Make American Children Healthy Again.
When directly asked on CNN’s “State of the Union” whether Kennedy would be involved in vaccination of children at schools, Education Secretary Linda McMahon gave an open-ended response.
“That’s not necessarily a no,” McMahon told CNN’s Dana Bash. “I’m just saying that, right now, the Department of Education, through the funding for children with disabilities, is not controlling vaccinations and that sort of thing in states.”
RFK, Jr. isn’t the only Trump official getting an expanded role. The Small Business Administration, led by Kelly Loeffler, will take over management of the federal student loan portfolio – approximately $1.6 trillion in federally backed loans currently under the Department of Education’s purview. That responsibility will be transferred “immediately,” according to White House statements.
The SBA announced Friday it will reduce its workforce by 43%, cuts that end “the expansive social policy agenda of the prior Administration, eliminating non-essential roles, and returning to pre-pandemic staffing levels.”
Trump’s executive order directed Education Secretary McMahon to take all necessary legal measures to begin dismantling the Education Department, but complete elimination would require congressional approval.
The administration has indicated it will seek to abolish mandated programs where possible and transfer remaining required functions to other federal agencies in the interim.
The transfer of student loan oversight to the SBA “is not meant to disrupt loan repayments,” according to administration officials, though specific transition plans have not been made public.