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 overhauls. Early efforts to reorganize the agency’s regulatory responsibilities have encountered resistance, potentially weakening the momentum behind more sweeping reforms. While the Labor Department has also been involved, the Education Department’s restructuring remains a key test of the administration’s ability to reshape federal education policy. Critics and officials alike are now watching closely to see whether these challenges will derail the plan entirely.

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 ...