The Education Department gave another agency power to distribute its money. It hasn't gone well.

A controversial push to restructure the Education Department under the Trump administration has faced significant setbacks, raising questions about the feasibility of broader reforms. Early efforts to reorganize the agency’s oversight of federal student aid programs encountered resistance, including legal challenges and bureaucratic hurdles. Critics argue these missteps could weaken the administration’s broader agenda to dismantle key Education Department functions, potentially leaving long-term impacts on student financial aid and regulatory frameworks. The Labor Department’s involvement adds another layer of complexity to the debate over federal education policy.

The stumbles of an early Trump administration experiment to carve up the Education Department risks undercutting the president’s more dramatic demolition plan for the agency. The Labor Department ...