Package of GOP Bills to Redistribute Key Department of Education Functions & Authority to Other Federal Agencies Passed Out of Committee After Lengthy Partisan Deliberations
Overview
Yesterday evening, following over six hours of debate on a set of ten GOP bills and a multitude of Democratic amendments to them, the House Committee on Education & Workforce voted along strict parties lines to approve the Republican backed legislation and oppose all of the Democrats efforts to make revisions or additions to the them. The package of ten bills, labeled the “Less Bureaucracy, Better Education” (Less Bureaucracy) package, each direct the U.S. Department of Education (Department) to transfer specific Offices, programs, authority and the underling roles and responsibilities currently under the direction of the Secretary of Education and the Department to other federal agencies.
What’s Next
This afternoon CSPEN will provide a comprehensive summary of the Less Bureaucracy package, the overarching arguments of the Democratic minority in opposing the proposals, and a litany of Democrats’ amendments to the bills which took aim directly at the former Secretary of Labor, current Secretary of Education Linda McMahon, and the Administration and Department for what they assert are illegal efforts to dismantle the Department through the fourteen Interagency Agreements.
In addition to these accusations and several overarching comments, the Democratic minority also targeted a number of amendments directly at higher education and their views that the Administration/Department/Secretary are failing to fulfill their primary responsibilities in the administering the FSA student loan portfolio, its oversight responsibilities related to student loan servicing and institutional accountability, and more.
