House Republicans advance bill package to formally dismantle ED
Republicans on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce introduced last week a set of 10 bills – called the “Less Bureaucracy, Better Education” package – designed to dismantle the Department of Education (ED). On Wednesday, the Committee approved the package on a partisan basis.
The bills seek to codify program transfers initiated under a series of Interagency Agreements (IAAs) executed by the Trump administration over the past year. In addition to officially and permanently moving programs, the bills remove from the Secretary of Education statutory authority over programs, effectively ending the agency’s remaining policymaking and oversight responsibilities. Among the bills include measures to permanently move Career and Technical Education and Adult Education programs to the Department of Labor (DOL), Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) programs (to include TRIO and institutional aid) to DOL, Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Federal Student Aid (FSA) to the Department of Treasury.
Notably, there are two IAAs not cross-walked in the new legislative package: the recent IAA moving civil rights enforcement to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and moving oversight of special education and rehabilitative services to HHS. Also notable, the IAA moving OPE programs to DOL still includes references to key Minority-Serving Institutions programs.
Throughout Wednesday’s lengthy markup, committee Democrats offered amendments to each bill (all ultimately unsuccessful). Proposed amendments included: blocking permanent program transfers until studies are conducted on the cost to taxpayers of transferring responsibilities and the potential impacts on program efficiency; blocking permanent program transfers until staffing is restored for Department of Education program personnel and FSA; blocking program transfers until FSA clears all application backlogs; and blocking program transfers until ED and OMB rescind recent regulations and guidance.
While the markup of this package signaled strong support for the IAAs from House Republicans, it is unlikely to be enacted due to Democrats’ strong opposition in the Senate.
AACC’s response to new OMB guidance
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) submitted comments this week in response to a pending proposal from OMB to radically overhaul the federal government’s procedures for awarding grant funds. The proposal would turn the current “Uniform Guidance” into a formal regulation with the force of law and would apply across all federal grant programs.
AACC has drafted a summary of the proposed revisions for member colleges. The key areas of concern include:
1. The proposed regulation subjects the grant-making process to an inappropriate and counterproductive degree of political influence. It undermines the time-tested principles of merit and peer review that have served community colleges, the government and the public well over time.
2. The proposed rule introduces a high degree of uncertainty into a process that should be reliable. In particular, it allows federal agencies to terminate grant commitments without advance warning and without appropriate justification.
3. Many community colleges have limited means to develop complex grant applications. The considerations outlined above would make it more problematic for colleges to devote resources to write applications.
4. The regulations will compromise congressional and therefore public accountability, by effectively transferring authority for determining the allocation and distribution of federal grant funds from the legislative to the executive branch.
5. Many of the policies that institutions would be required to certify that they are following are controversial and have unclear legal status. Institutions are currently required to comply with a variety of civil rights and other legal and constitutional protections, and this provides sufficient safeguards against unlawful actions by grantees.
AACC has also joined broader comments led by the American Council of Education (ACE).
ICMYI: Appropriations stalled in the Senate, still time for advocacy
Senate appropriators are still at an impasse on top-line FY 27 funding levels for defense and non-defense programs, and, as a result, the Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to mark up any of the 12 annual appropriations bills. Traditionally, the committee writes and approves appropriations bills on a bipartisan basis, as that is necessary to pass legislation in the Senate. Because of this, Senate bills are usually a good predictor of final funding legislation.
The House appropriations committee, on the other hand, has approved all 12 FY 27 bills on a partisan basis, including the all-important Labor, Health and Human Services and Education (LHHS-ED) legislation. The House bill eliminates or substantially cuts several important programs, including Adult Basic Education and DOL workforce programs, but it also includes small increases for top community college priorities, including $10 million increases for the Strengthening Community College Training Grants program and the HEA Title III-A Strengthening Institutions Program.
Due to these unforeseen delays, opportunities remain for community colleges to advocacy in support of key federal programs. AACC’s top priority for the FY 27 LHHS-ED bill is for Congress to comprehensively address the multi-billion-dollar shortfall in the Pell Grant program. The House bill patches the shortfall for one year only and pays for it by eliminating interest subsidies on undergraduate Direct Loans. In a recent letter, AACC urged Senate appropriators to permanently eliminate the shortfall without limiting student aid eligibility. AACC also called on the Senate to retain the House’s increases for SCCTG and SIP while rejecting the cuts made to other programs. AACC urges its members to contact their Senators today in support of these positions.
Upcoming AACC events
AACC will host a policy update webinar focused on the latest developments for Workforce Pell on Wednesday, July 29 at 3 pm ET. The webinar will feature perspectives from Kate Kinder, executive director of the National Council for Workforce Education; Chandler LeBoeuf, executive vice president for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System; and Iris Palmer, director of community colleges at New America.
If you haven’t already, please register for AACC’s annual Advocates in Action event in Washington, D.C. on September 15 and 16. Space is limited.
AACC’s “Lead Through the Noise” is a special edition of its Future Leaders and Future Presidents Institutes in Washington, D.C., September 28-30. Registration is open.
Save the date: The 2027 AACC Workforce Development Institute will be held January 26-29 in North San Diego. More info coming soon.