Last Week in Congress (10/6–10/10/25)
An update will be shared every week that Congress is in session. This will include a short summary of the past week in Congress, as well as a listing of all education-related bills introduced in the House and Senate, relevant Committee and Floor activity, and education-related hearings.
As the shutdown drags on, it was a relatively quiet week in Congress, with few committee meetings and little action beyond a number of failed procedural votes on continuing resolutions. Two things to watch:
The first is that on Tuesday, October 14 at 5:30pm EST, in accordance with Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate and a unanimous-consent agreement of October 9, the Senate will vote on cloture to end debate and force a vote on H.R. 5371, the Republican-introduced version that would continue current spending limits until November 21 (or the point at which appropriations legislation is enacted).
The second is that a number of nominees were confirmed by the Senate, including: Kirsten Baesler, of North Dakota, to be Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education; Kimberly Richey, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights; Mary Riley, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs; and David Barker, of Iowa, to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education. Nominees will be sworn in once the federal government reopens.
· H.R. 5693 (Baumgartner, R-WA), to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit certain private equity and sovereign wealth fund agreements involving intercollegiate athletics (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5714 (Gottheimer, D-NJ), to direct the Director of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to develop a curriculum for the study of modern-day antisemitism surrounding Hamas' October 7, 2023, terrorist attacks against Israel for use in secondary schools (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5731 (DeSaulnier, D-CA), the School Food Modernization Act, to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to require the Secretary of Agriculture to make loan guarantees and grants to finance certain improvements to school lunch facilities, and to train school food service personnel (Education and Workforce; Agriculture; Appropriations).
· S. 2987 (Cotton, R-AR), to establish a program of workforce development as an alternative to college for all (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 2990 (Gillibrand, D-NY), to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 and the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act to combat campus sexual assault (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· The Senate resumed consideration of S. 2296, to authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2026 for military activities of the Department of Defense and related activities. On Thursday, October 9, the Senate passed S. 2296, as amended, by a vote of 77 yeas to 20 nays.
· October 6, 2025: The Senate resumed consideration of a number of en bloc nominations, pursuant to the provisions of S. Res. 412, including:
Kirsten Baesler, of North Dakota, to be Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education, Department of Education.
Kimberly Richey, of Texas, to be Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Department of Education.
Mary Riley, of the District of Columbia, to be Assistant Secretary for Legislation and Congressional Affairs, Department of Education.
David Barker, of Iowa, to be Assistant Secretary for Postsecondary Education, Department of Education.
The nominations were all confirmed en bloc, by a vote of 51 yeas to 47 nays.
· The Senate votes to close further debate on the motion to proceed to consideration of continuing appropriations measure S. 2882 failed to pass on 10/6 by a vote of 45 yeas to 50 nays, on 10/8 by a vote of 47 yeas to 52 nays, and on 10/9 by a vote of 47 yeas to 50 nays.
· The Senate votes to close further debate on the motion to proceed to consideration of continuing appropriations bill H.R 5371 failed to pass on 10/6 by a vote of 52 yeas to 42 nays, on 10/8 by a vote of 54 yeas to 45 nays, and on 10/9 by a vote of 54 yeas to 45 nays. A motion was entered to close further debate on the motion to proceed, and in accordance with Rule XXII of the Standing Rules of the Senate and a unanimous-consent agreement of October 9, the Senate will vote on cloture at 5:30pm on October 14.