Last Week in Congress (5/11–5/15/26)
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.
Summary of the week: Last week, Secretary McMahon appeared before the House Education and Workforce Committee to defend proposed budget cuts for FY2027. The Secretary championed efforts to dismantle the Department by shifting programs to other agencies, which House Democrats criticized the strategy, arguing it lacks required congressional approval. Democrats also criticized the Department’s newly released rules implementing P.L. 119-21’s requirements around loan limits, noting that the new caps severely restrict which degree programs qualify for higher graduate student loans, and will exacerbate workforce shortages in fields like teaching and healthcare. Civil rights remained a focus, with House Democrats criticizing cuts to the Office for Civil Rights, while the Secretary highlighted agreements with universities around civil rights and antisemitism.
· H.R. 8728 (Gottheimer, D-NJ), to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make breakfasts and lunches free for all children (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8743 (Deluzio, D-PA), to direct the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service to develop recommendations for screen time limits for children to promote healthy development and well-being (Energy and Commerce).
· H.R. 8747 (Fine, R-FL), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to include certain curriculum expenses as permissible uses of funds (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8752 (Lee, D-NV), to improve the full-service community school program (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8759 (Perry, R-PA), to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out a program under which an institution of higher education may elect to cosign Federal student loans made to students attending the institution (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8781 (Arrington, R-TX), to clarify that for purposes of Federal nondiscrimination requirements applicable to education programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance, discrimination prohibited under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is based on the biological reality of sex (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8788 (Deluzio, D-PA), to prohibit vulture investors from investing in youth sports (Judiciary; Energy and Commerce; Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8791 (Hill, R-AR), to provide for the long-term improvement of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8798 (Omar, D-MN), to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make breakfasts and lunches free for all children (Education and Workforce; Agriculture; Science, Space, and Technology).
· H.R. 8815 (Hayes, D-CT), to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to change certain eligibility provisions for loan forgiveness for teachers (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 8834 (Schneider, D-IL), to ensure that significantly more students graduate college with the international knowledge and experience essential for success in today’s global economy through the establishment of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program in the Department of State (Foreign Affairs).
· H.R. 8836 (Self, R-TX), to amend title 31, United States Code, to require certain financial institutions to verify the citizenship and legal status of individuals (Financial Services).
· H.R. 8859 (Pettersen, D-CO), the Creating Early Childhood Leaders Act, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to increase the knowledge and skills of principals and school leaders regarding early childhood education (Education and Workforce).
· S. 4488 (Cortez Masto, D-NV), the Safe Bus Routes to School Act, to amend title 23, United States Code, to include school bus route safety in the safe route to school program (Environment and Public Works).
· S. 4496 (Alsobrooks, D-MD), to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for additional uses of funds for grants to strengthen historically Black colleges and universities (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4504 (Van Hollen, D-MD), to improve the full-service community school program (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4518 (Sanders, I-VT), to amend the Child Nutrition Act of 1966 and the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to make breakfasts and lunches free for all children (Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry).
· S. 4522 (Murphy, D-CT), to prohibit vulture investors from investing in youth sports (Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs).
· S. 4525 (Banks, R-IN), to prohibit certain federally funded research collaborations with certain foreign entities (Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs).
· S. 4527 (McCormick, R-PA), to amend title 38, United States Code, to provide greater opportunities for veterans to pursue education programs involving emerging technologies (Veterans’ Affairs).
· S. 4528 (Scott, R-SC), to provide for the long-term improvement of Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4531 (Husted, R-OH), to amend section 498A of the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require the Secretary of Education to prioritize program reviews of institutions of higher education that disburse Federal financial aid under title IV of such Act without verifying the identity of a student whose FAFSA presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4535 (Murphy, D-CT), to establish the Strength in Diversity Program (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 4541 (Durbin, D-IL), to ensure that significantly more students graduate college with the international knowledge and experience essential for success in today’s global economy through the establishment of the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program in the Department of State (Foreign Relations).
· S. 4546 (Tuberville, R-AL), to amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to establish a national-interest standard for immigration, end certain family-sponsored immigration categories, revise standards relating to good moral character, eliminate the diversity immigrant category, revise public-charge and sponsor-support rules, revise naturalization requirements, reform employment-based immigration and H-1B visas, eliminate Optional Practical Training absent express statutory authorization, revise asylum procedures, require employment eligibility verification, establish additional penalties relating to unlawful presence and visa overstays, and revise parole authority (Judiciary).
· On May 11, the House filed a number of reports on bills related to children and youth who have experienced foster care, including: H.R. 7343, to amend section 477 of the Social Security Act to expand education and workforce training opportunities for youth who have experienced foster care, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–639); H.R. 7529, to require States to consider legal issues affecting youth as part of case planning and to provide States with the option to use funds from the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood to support access to legal services and counseling, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–640); H.R. 7655, to amend section 477 of the Social Security Act to improve supports for expectant and parenting youth who have experienced foster care by strengthening coordination with the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Horne Visiting Program, and for other purposes, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–641); H.R. 7995, to update the purposes of the John H. Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood to reflect research and the input of youth with lived experience about the importance of long-term relationships to future success, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–642); and H.R. 7432, to amend section 477 of the Social Security Act to improve coordination with Federal housing assistance programs for youth who have experienced foster care, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–643, Part 1).
· On May 13, the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, held a hearing to examine how social media verdicts demand federal action to protect kids online.
· On May 13, the House filed a report on H.R. 7082, to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 in order to provide for greater flexibility in the Federal programs supporting the planning and implementation of charter schools, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–651).
· On May 13, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, held a markup on a number of bills, including: H.R. 8209, the School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2026.
· On May 14, the House Committee on Education and Workforce held a hearing entitled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” Testimony was heard from Linda McMahon, Secretary, Department of Education. Full coverage available here.
· On May 14, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary favorably reported a number of bills, including S. 3966, to prohibit the enforcement of certain contractual clauses that restrict disclosure of sexual abuse of minors.
· On May 11, the Senate received a nomination for Heidi Semann, of Missouri, to be Inspector General, Department of Education.
· On May 14, the House considered H.R. 8469, making appropriations for military construction, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2027, and agreed to a number of amendments, including: Alford (No. 1) that increases and decreases funding by $5 million for readjustment and rehabilitation benefits to or on behalf of veterans and to emphasize the importance of creating a pilot program under The Survivors' and Dependents' Educational Assistance (DEA) program to such educational assistance to no less than 1,000 students who are a dependent of a veteran and prepare them to be successful in college or some other post-high school educational program.