Meet the Trump Cabinet Secretaries Taking Over Ed. Dept. Programs

Previously: Sonderling led the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor during Trump’s first term. He then served on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from 2020 to 2024. He was assistant labor secretary during Trump’s second term until Lori Chavez-DeRemer vacated the secretary role on April 20, 2026.

Schooling: He attended public K-12 schools and graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Later, he obtained a law degree from Nova Southeastern University.

Education policy positions: He has championed AI literacy in the workplace during his tenure at the Labor Department.

Staffing changes under President Donald Trump: Between November 2024 and November 2025, the number of Labor Department staff dropped by 14%, from 14,551 to 12,516, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data. The Employment and Training Administration, the Labor office that will house Education Department programs, saw a staff reduction of 13%, from 1,146 to 992 employees.

Role in Education Department programs: The Employment and Training Administration within DOL will house most K-12 programs currently run by the Department of Education as well as more than 40 higher education programs. The ETA’s current leader is Henry Mack, who previously led Florida’s higher education system.

Additional notes: Chavez-DeRemer resigned from Trump's Cabinet after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job, the Associated Press reported. She was under multiple internal investigations.

Separately, her husband was banned from the agency’s headquarters after at least two employees alleged he sexually assaulted them; police searched the Labor secretary's office in February as part of the investigation.

On March 31, the union that represents Department of Education staff filed a complaint alleging unsafe conditions including insects, mold, extreme temperatures, and water leaks in the Labor Department workspaces now occupied by Education Department staff whose programs were subject to interagency agreements.

In a statement to Education Week, the Labor Department didn’t confirm or deny the allegations in the complaint from Education Department staffers, saying that more than 2,000 agency employees report to the office every day “without incident.”

“It appears a small group of employees would rather protest their detail to Labor than do their actual jobs and deliver for the American people,” wrote Courtney Parella, an agency spokesperson.

Previously: Kennedy, a longtime anti-vaccine and pro-environment activist, last held public office in 1982, when he served as Manhattan’s assistant district attorney. He resigned a year later after failing to pass the bar exam. He later served on the faculty of Pace University’s School of Law, where he oversaw an environmental litigation clinic.

Schooling: He attended private K-12 schools and graduated from Harvard University in 1976 and the University of Virginia School of Law in 1982. He also holds a master’s degree in environmental law from the Pace University School of Law.

Education policy positions: While campaigning for president as an independent in 2024, Kennedy endorsed student loan forgiveness and said topics like “critical race theory” have a place in the classroom as long as students hear balanced perspectives. During his tenure as HHS secretary, Kennedy has endorsed banning cell phones in schools, urged medical colleges to ramp up nutrition instruction, and moved to loosen vaccine requirements for children.

Staffing changes under Trump: Between November 2024 and November 2025, the number of HHS staff dropped by 18%, from 92,856 to 76,287, according to the New York Times analysis of federal data. The Administration for Children and Families, the HHS sub-agency that will house Education Department programs, saw a staff reduction of 30%, from 2,241 to 1,575 employees.

Role in Education Department programs: The Administration for Children and Families within HHS will house several K-12 programs, including the Full-Service Community Schools and Promise Neighborhoods grant programs. The ACF’s current leader is Alex J. Adams, who previously led Idaho’s health department for a year and its finance department for five years before that.

The Administration on Disabilities within HHS will house the Education Department’s office of special education and rehabilitative services. The AOD’s current leader is Rebecca Hines, a former associate professor of special education at the University of Central Florida who is also Kennedy’s sister-in-law.

Previously: Burgum, a software magnate, served as governor of North Dakota from 2016 to 2024. He pursued the 2024 Republican nomination for president, but dropped out nearly a year before the general election. He was a contender to become Trump's 2024 running mate before he chose JD Vance.

Schooling: He attended public K-12 schools, North Dakota State University as an undergrad, and Stanford Business School for his master’s degree.

Education policy positions: During Burgum’s tenure as governor, North Dakota became the first state to require cybersecurity education in K-12 schools. He also approved legislative policies to expand personalized learning pathways, expand career-technical academies, and ban transgender girls from participating in female sports. In 2023, Burgum vetoed a bill that would have invested $10 million in state subsidies for low-income students’ K-12 private school tuition, urging lawmakers to come up with a plan that included more measures for accountability and transparency, and that prioritized options for rural students.

Tribal leaders from Burgum’s home state cheered the news of Burgum’s nomination to lead the Interior Department. They credited him with helping to smooth relationships between the state government and area tribes.

Staffing changes under Trump: Between November 2024 and November 2025, the number of Interior Department staff dropped by 13%, from 65,360 to 58,481, federal data show. The Bureau of Indian Education, the Interior sub-agency that will house Education Department programs, saw a staff reduction of 8%, from 3,095 to 2,843 employees.

Role in Education Department programs: The Bureau of Indian Education within Interior will house most K-12 programs for Native American students currently run by the Department of Education. The BIE’s current leader is Tony Dearman, a former educator and school administrator who has served as director of the bureau since 2016.

Previously: Rubio served as a city commissioner in West Miami in the 1990s before ascending to the state legislature in the early 2000s. In 2010, the Republican began a 14-year stint as one of Florida’s two U.S. senators. He placed fourth in the contest to be the 2016 Republican nominee for president.

Schooling: He attended public K-12 schools before graduating from the University of Florida in 1993 and the University of Miami School of Law in 1996.

Education policy positions: While serving as a senator and running for president, Rubio advocated for closing the U.S. Department of Education, boosting charter schools, and cutting Pell grants for low-income college students.

Staffing changes under Trump: Between November 2024 and November 2025, the number of State Department staff dropped by 19%, from 14,551 to 11,749. At least 90 employees of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs resigned or were laid off in 2025, according to media reports.

Role in Education Department programs: The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs within State will house a handful of internationally oriented higher education programs. The State Department will also maintain a database tracking foreign gifts to American universities.

Previously: Blanche is currently serving as acting attorney general and awaiting Senate confirmation to serve in the role permanently. He’s worked as a federal prosecutor and a private attorney. In the latter role, he represented President Donald Trump in three criminal cases, including the one in which he was convicted on 34 felony counts. Trump also appointed him Librarian of Congress in May 2025, prompting a standoff on Capitol Hill between DOJ officials and Library of Congress staffers that resulted in Blanche being removed from the position.

Schooling: He attended public K-12 schools, including a public military high school in New Mexico, and graduated from American University with a bachelor’s degree in public affairs. Later, he obtained a law degree from Brooklyn Law School.

Education policy positions: The Justice Department under Blanche has launched investigations into dozens of school districts into how they teach about sexuality and gender identity and whether they give parents the opportunity to opt their children out of lessons that conflict with their religious beliefs.

Staffing changes under Trump: Between November 2024 and November 2025, the number of Justice Department staff dropped by 8%, from 117,254 to 107,700, according to a New York Times analysis of federal data.

Role in Education Department programs: The Justice Department’s civil rights division will house the Education Department’s office for civil rights, as well as the Education Department’s four equity assistance centers, and its office of student privacy enforcement. The DOJ civil rights division’s current leader is Harmeet Dhillon, a Republican party official and conservative litigator.

Previously: Bessent, a billionaire investor and hedge fund manager, had never held public office before joining the second Trump administration.

Schooling: He attended public high school before graduating from Yale University in 1984.

Education policy positions: As Treasury secretary, Bessent chairs the Financial Literacy and Education Commission, established by Congress to help facilitate public and private efforts to grow financial literacy.

Staffing changes under Trump: Between November 2024 and November 2025, the number of Treasury Department staff dropped by 20%, from 115,689 to 92,091.

Role in Education Department programs: The Bureau of Fiscal Services within Treasury will take a phased approach to managing the Education Department’s student loan portfolio.