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 hurdles, raising questions about the viability of broader plans to overhaul the agency. Early efforts to reorganize its regulatory responsibilities have encountered resistance, potentially weakening the momentum behind more sweeping reforms. Meanwhile, the Labor Department has also been drawn into the debate, complicating the administration’s broader agenda. Critics warn that these setbacks could undermine key policy goals before they even take full effect.

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 ...