The U.S. Education Department will leave its Lyndon B. Johnson headquarters in Washington and move into a smaller office in the same city, the Trump administration said on Thursday, continuing a broader push to shrink the department's physical and operational presence.
In a joint statement, the Education and Energy Departments said the Education Department's headquarters building has been 70% vacant. The Departments added that the Department of Energy will vacate the James V. Forrestal building and assume the lease for the Lyndon B. Johnson building.
Federal officials framed the changes as a cost-saving measure. The joint announcement said that transferring the Education Department headquarters lease to the Energy Department will avoid more than $350 million in deferred maintenance costs for taxpayers.
The move occurs amid an administration effort to reduce the federal role in education. During his 2024 election campaign, President Donald Trump pledged to dismantle the Education Department as part of an agenda to shift more control over education to the states. The current administration has also substantially reduced staffing levels at the agency.
Beyond the physical relocation, the Education Department has been reassigning or sharing responsibilities with other parts of the federal government. Late last year the department reported new arrangements with four other federal departments - Labor, State, Interior and Health and Human Services - to share or transfer certain functions. More recently, last week the administration said the Education Department transferred a portion of its student loan portfolio to the Treasury Department.
Operational context
The administration's announcement ties a facility lease swap to broader organizational changes that include staffing reductions and interagency transfers of responsibilities and assets. Officials emphasize taxpayer savings from reduced maintenance liabilities as part of the rationale for consolidating leases and relocating offices.