Mercedes Schneider writes that someone at the White House transferred the funding and oversight of the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities from the U.S. Department of Education to the White House.

When I first read this, I laughed out loud. First, because this happened the day after Betsy DeV pointed to HBCUs as a wonderful example of “choice,” when they were in fact created because so few institutions of higher education would admit black students. If anything, they were created because black students had no choice. They were a refuge for black students who wanted higher education and a path to a profession in a deeply racist society.

So, boom, the HCBUs are removed from the oversight of the clueless Ms. DeV. (By the way, if you watched the Senate confirmation hearings, you know that Ms. DeVos prefers to be called Mrs. DeVos.)

But my second reaction was bafflement. The White House is the home of the President and his family. It doesn’t fund or supervise programs. Presumably, the funding will follow the program. But there is no one on the White House staff who can answer a question about federal regulations or the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Does this mean the White House will take control of every program that one of its cabinet members insults? Will it manage the Great Lakes Restoration Project, whose budget will be cut by EPA de-administrator Scott Pruitt from $300 million to $10 million?

This is one of the nuttier developments in an era of the inexplicable.