Washington DC - The Trump administration on Thursday said the US Department of Education will leave its headquarters in Washington, intensifying its dismantling of a key government agency.

The Department of Education will leave its headquarters at the Lyndon B. Johnson building in Washington DC and relocate to a smaller officer as part of its continuing attempts to save money.

In a statement shared by the Education Department on Thursday, the Trump administration called the move "a prudent step to save hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars and further reduce the federal education bureaucracy."

According to the statement, the move will save taxpayers approximately $4.8 million a year in operating costs. It will also eliminate wasted space as the building is reportedly 70% empty.

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"One year ago, President Trump signed one of the most consequential executive orders of his presidency – to break up the federal education bureaucracy and return education to the states," said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

"Thanks to the hard work of so many, we have made unprecedented progress in reducing the federal education footprint, and now we are pleased to give this building to an agency that will benefit far more from its space," she said.

"This is an important step in our efforts to forge brighter futures for our nation's students, honor the taxpayers who invest in their promise, and support the civil servants who keep this vital work moving forward."

The Department of Energy will relocate to the LBJ building in place of the Education Department, Energy Secretary Chris Wright announced in a statement on X.

Moving out of the LBJ building continues the Trump administration's effort to totally dismantle the Education Department and defer all responsibility for education to the states.