Last Week in Congress (5/25–5/29/26)
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, the Senate was out of session and the House operated on a limited schedule. Despite the lighter legislative calendar, the House filed reports on two bills aimed at combating FAFSA fraud. These measures join a growing number of FAFSA-related anti-fraud proposals introduced in recent months, many of which align with the administration’s broader identity fraud prevention initiative announced in June 2025. They also come on the heels of the Department of Education’s release of its FAFSA Fraud Prevention Tool just one month ago, reflecting a continued focus on the issue across both Congress and the Department.
· H.R. 9045 (DeSaulnier, D-CA), to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify, review, and implement effective interventions in Head Start programs (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 9046 (Barrett, R-MI), to require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a study on members of the Armed Forces who separated from the Armed Forces due to the mandate to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and the transfer of education benefits by such members (Armed Services).
· H.R. 9052 (Crow, D-CO), to amend the Small Business Act to include requirements relating to apprenticeship program assistance for small business development centers (Small Business).
· H.R. 9059 (Gottheimer, D-NJ), to direct the Assistant Attorney General to award grants to the National Police Athletic/Activities League to improve academic and social outcomes for youth and reduce both juvenile crime and the risk that youth will become victims of crime by providing productive activities conducted by law enforcement personnel during non-school hours (Judiciary).
· H.R. 9066 (Meng, D-NY), to authorize the Attorney General to establish a hate crime prevention grant (Judiciary).
· H.R. 9069 (Neguse, D-CO), to limit the Department of Homeland Security from detailing children and individuals with a cognitive disability and to prohibit immigration enforcement actions at sensitive locations without a court-issued criminal warrant (Judiciary).
· H.R. 9074 (Scott, R-PA), to require an institution of higher education to file a disclosure report with the Secretary of Education whenever such institution receives a gift from or enters into a contract with a foreign source, the value of which is $50,000 or more (Education and Workforce).
· The Senate was not in session this week
· On May 26, the House filed two reports relating to FAFSA fraud: H.R. 7891, 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, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–668); and H.R. 7892, to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require to the Secretary of Education to use an identity fraud detection system to review each FAFSA to determine whether the FAFSA presents a reasonable suspicion of identity fraud, with an amendment (H. Rept. 119–669).