Education Department headquarters will relocate as part of Trump's dismantling

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 move toward closure 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 needed maintenance on the Energy Department's current headquarters building.

The move is the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken to dismantle the Education Department, a campaign promise.

The union representing department workers condemned the move.

“The message the Secretary’s announcement sends to our staff and the American public is clear — education is next on the chopping block,” American Federation of Government Employees Local 252 President Rachel Gittleman said in a statement.

Only Congress has the authority to close the department, but the Trump administration has offloaded many of the Education Department's programs and functions to other parts of the federal government through so-called “ interagency agreements.”

Still, moving the Education Department out of its headquarters is one of the most “overt actions” McMahon has taken to shut down the agency, said Virginia Rep. Bobby Scott, the top Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee.

“This decision to close the Department's physical building is not just a symbolic move," Scott said in a statement. "It reflects a broader effort to reduce the federal government's role in ensuring people have equal access to a quality education.”

In the most recent effort to break apart the Education Department, the Trump administration last week assigned management of student loans in default to the Treasury Department. Responsibility for the rest of the $1.7 trillion federal student loan portfolio is to go to Treasury at an unspecified date.

Over the last year, programs that oversee a range of education initiatives, including family engagement, funding for low-income schools and teacher training have moved to agencies such as Health and Human Services and the Labor Department.

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.

FILE - The U.S. Department of Education building is seen in Washington, Dec. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department plans to put President Donald Trump’s signature on all new U.S. paper currency, the agency announced on Thursday.

The move would be a first for a sitting president, since traditionally, U.S. paper currency carries the signatures of the Treasury Secretary and the Treasurer, not the president.

The news was first reported by Vanity Fair.

It’s the latest instance of Trump putting his name and likeness on American cultural institutions, following his renaming of the U.S. Institute of Peace, the Kennedy Center performing arts venue and a new class of battleships, among other tributes.

And the plans come in tandem with an ongoing effort to get Trump’s face on a coin.

Earlier this month, a federal arts commission approved the final design for a 24-karat gold commemorative coin bearing Trump’s image to help celebrate America’s 250th birthday on July 4.

Treasury says the plan to include Trump's signature on all new paper currency is intended to honor the nation's 250th birthday, and that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s signature would also appear on the currency.

Bessent said in a statement that “there is no more powerful way to recognize the historic achievements of our great country” than with U.S dollar bills bearing Trump’s name.

U.S. Treasurer Brandon Beach said in a statement that printing Trump's signature on the American currency "is not only appropriate, but also well deserved.”

The U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing is responsible for producing all paper currency while the U.S. Mint produces all the coins.

Democrats criticized the move in part because the announcement comes as Americans face rising costs at the grocery store and the gas pump. The war in Iran , which began Feb. 28, has caused oil and gas prices to soar, deepening people's affordability concerns.

Rep. Shontel Brown, D-OH, tweeted on X Thursday evening that the Treasury plan is “gross and un-American. But at least it will remind us who to thank when we pay more for gas, goods, and groceries," she said.

President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting at the White House, Thursday, March 26, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)