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 student loans and grant programs have encountered resistance, potentially weakening the administration’s broader agenda to reshape federal education policy. Critics argue the missteps could delay or derail more sweeping changes, while supporters maintain the experiment remains critical to long-term efficiency. The outcome may hinge on whether the administration can overcome bureaucratic hurdles or whether the initiative will stall amid political and procedural challenges.

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 ...