Yesterday: The House Workforce Protections Subcommittee Held A Hearing Focused On Needs of Independent Contractors

Today: The Senate HELP Committee Looks at the State of Higher Education &
The House Higher Education & Workforce Subcommittee Seeks to Expose Concerns with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Tomorrow: The Senate HELP Committee to Hold Key Education Confirmation Hearings

Overview
CSPEN shared with you on Monday that this week was going to be heavily focused upon key House and Senate Education Committee hearings. In today’s email we share with you a brief summary of yesterday’s House Subcommittee hearing entitled “Empowering the Modern Worker.” call your attention to two hearings taking place simultaneously today in the House and Senate you may want to watch live; and suggest that you block or time tomorrow to watch the Senate confirmation hearing of Nicholas Kent, President Trump’s nominee to become the next Under Secretary of Education – the top higher education position within the Department of Education. SO, without further ado, here is today’s update:

Empowering the Modern Worker Hearing
The House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hosted a hearing focused on “legislative solutions to protect independent contractors’ status and allow them to pursue certain benefits if they so choose.” In contrast to initiatives put forth by the Biden-Harris Administration regarding worker classification, – with emphasis on mandates imposed as part of the 2024 independent contractor rule. Subcommittee Chairman Ryan Mackenzie noted in his opening statement:

“New platforms, technologies, and business models have transformed how people earn a living—giving millions of workers more flexibility, autonomy, and opportunity. Whether it’s freelance writers, app-based drivers, or self-employed consultants, these arrangements are helping people find work that fits their lifestyle and goals. In many cases, this flexibility leads to higher job satisfaction and better work-life balance.

Unfortunately, outdated policies haven’t kept pace with these changes. Too many independent workers today face legal uncertainty and unnecessary restrictions that limit their ability to work on their own terms.”

Concluding his remarks with:

“Fortunately, the Trump administration has a more common-sense approach to worker classification. We look forward to working with the Department of Labor to further protect workers from unreasonable mandates like the 2024 independent contractor rule and instead to provide clear guidelines that protect legitimate independent contractors from federal overreach.

Committee Republicans have solutions too: the Modern Worker Empowerment Act, which clarifies employee versus independent contractor status, and the Modern Worker Security Act, which provides a federal safe harbor to businesses wishing to offer portable benefits to independent contractors.”

Following his opening remarks, four witnesses provided testimony sharing observations and recommendations on revisions that could benefit a variety of different types of workers like those mentioned in Chairman Mackenzie’s statement.

These revisions to labor law have a direct impact on many forms of workforce education provided by the higher education community and thus CSPEN will continue to monitor, report on, and recommend community action when necessary as the Subcommittee and Full Committee bring the legislative proposals forward.

The State of Higher Education
Today, starting at 10 AM ET, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions will host a hearing entitled “The State of Higher Education.” As noted earlier this week, the hearing will consist of a panel of five witnesses including three institutional leaders from a Christian liberal arts university, a historically black college, and community college, a researcher who focuses on the economics of higher education, and the leader of nonprofit organization focused on the elimination of the student debt burden for millions of Americans.

The hearing will stream live. The Committee’s website can be accessed here (www.help.senate.gov/hearings/the-state-of-higher-education-2025) .

Restoring Excellence: The Case Against DEI
Today, staring at 10:15 AM ET, the House Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development will host a hearing entitled “Restoring Excellence: The Case Against DEI.” The list of witnesses for this hearing was not available on Monday, but will include:
* Mr. Dan Morenoff, Executive Director, American Civil Rights Project
* Dr. Shaun Harper, Provost Professor of Education, Public Policy and Business, University of Southern California
* Ms. Renu Mukherjee, Fellow, Manhattan Institute
* Dr. Kurt Miceli, Medical Director, Do No Harm

The hearing will stream live on the Committee’s YouTube site (https://www.youtube.com/live/D7zAMYJLMCw) .

Trump Nominee’s Confirmation Hearing
Tomorrow, in Executive Session, the Senate HELP Committee will hold confirmation hearings for seven individuals nominated by President Trump to fill various top-level positions within the Departments of Education, Labor, and Health & Human Services. Among the seven nominees are three individuals President Trump has nominated for key positions within the Department of Education. They include:

Nicholas Kent – Nominee to Serve As Under Secretary of Education
Kevin O’Farrell – Nominee to Serve As Assistant Secretary for Career and Technical Education
Kirsten Baesler – Nominee to Serve As Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education

What’s Next
CSPEN will provide summaries of all of this week’s hearings on our CSPEN Federal Legislative & Regulatory Update webinar tomorrow from 2-3 PM ET. During the webinar we will also provide the latest information on Congress’ efforts to develop a comprehensive Budget Reconciliation bill, regulatory issues including further information and discussion regarding the Department of Education’s most recent filing in the FVT/GE litigation proceedings, proposals to be included in the Department of Education portion of the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget, and more.