The department has also faced scrutiny over foreign contracts and gifts to U.S. colleges, which totaled over $5 billion in 2025 according to Education Department data. Collins, Murkowski join DemsCollins said the “straightforward” bill “keeps the administration of important landmark education programs at the Department of Education — where Congress specifically put them and where they belong.” Education Department defends transfersTrump has sought to take an axe to the Education Department in his quest to send education policymaking “back to the states.” Savannah Newhouse, an Education Department spokesperson, said “the era of coddling a failed status quo must end,” in a statement to States Newsroom Thursday. The Senate measure sharply contrasts with a package that advanced out of a House education panel this month that would greatly reduce the department’s responsibilities.