The US Labor Department will absorb some of the work administering federal education programs, as the Trump administration seeks to drastically shrink the Department of Education.

The US Department of Labor has reopened its FLAG system, resuming H‑1B Labor Condition Applications (LCAs) and Program Electronic Review Management (PERM) labour certification submissions after a temporary shutdown caused by a funding lapse.

McMahon has also repeatedly affirmed that only Congress can fully shut down the department, but she’s noted that closing the department is different from dismantling bureaucracy and co-managing operations with other cabinet level departments.

Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer greeted returning employees via email but didn’t welcome staff in person or through a virtual meeting, as previous DOL leaders have done following government shutdowns, the worker said. In her email to DOL staff Thursday morning, the secretary said she was “eager” for them to get back to work.

U.S. job growth likely picked up moderately in September, while the unemployment rate held steady near a four-year high of 4.3%, consistent with sluggish labor market conditions that economists and policymakers have blamed on low supply and demand for workers.

The moves dramatically accelerate a decades-long push by conservatives to eliminate the department that gained traction when Trump signed an executive order in March. The decisions also make clear the administration’s willingness to use legal workarounds to evade Congress.