Last Week in Congress (7/13–7/17/26)
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.
The effort to dismantle the Department of Education is continuing its journey from administrative improvisation to proposed federal law. On July 15, the House Education and Workforce Committee approved ten bills intended to begin codifying the Trump administration’s plan to move major Department of Education functions to other federal agencies. The bills would transfer statutory responsibilities involving federal student aid, K–12 programs, career and technical and adult education, foreign gift reporting, international education, foreign medical school accreditation, child care for student parents, Tribal and Native education programs, family engagement, and other higher education functions. The package did not include legislation transferring responsibilities involving civil rights enforcement or special education and rehabilitative services, although ED entered into interagency agreements with the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services concerning those areas in June.
Unlike the existing interagency agreements, under which ED generally retains the authority assigned by statute to the Department or Secretary, the legislation would amend federal law to assign the covered responsibilities directly to other agencies. At the July 15 markup, members of the Education and Workforce Committee said pretty much exactly what you would expect each of them to say, and the bills were approved on party line votes. The committee ordered the bills reported to the House, making them eligible for consideration by the full chamber, although a floor vote is not assured and their ultimate enactment remains unlikely. Even if the bills never become law, their committee approval signals support among House Republicans for the administration’s restructuring effort and a willingness to make permanent transfers of statutory authority out of the Department of Education.
H.R. 9659 (Stanton, D-AZ), the Fund Schools Not ICE Act, to transfer certain unobligated funds appropriated to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement under the Secure America Act to the Department of Education to carry out programs under part A of title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (Judiciary; Education and Workforce; Homeland Security).
H.R. 9677 (Foushee, D-NC), the Grad Student Affordable Housing Act of 2026, to require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to establish a program to provide housing assistance to graduate students (Financial Services).
H.R. 9684 (Norcross, D-NJ), the Pre-Apprenticeships to Hardhats (PATH) Act, to direct the Secretary of Labor to support the development of pre-apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades that serve underrepresented populations, including individuals from low income and rural census tracts (Education and Workforce).
H.R. 9692 (Whitesides, D-CA), the Tracking Online Time and Limits (TOTAL) Screen Time Act, to require the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology to support the development of a voluntary technical standard for setting a screentime limit across certain devices (Science, Space, and Technology).
H.R. 9698 (Castro, D-TX), the Advanced Coursework Equity Act, to promote equity in advanced coursework and programs at elementary and secondary schools (Education and Workforce).
H.R. 9723 (Mackenzie, R-PA), the Fit Future Act, to establish the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition (Education and Workforce).
H.R. 9741 (Garcia, D-CA), to name the District of Columbia tuition assistance grant program the “Eleanor Holmes Norton District of Columbia Tuition Assistance Grant Program” (Oversight and Government Reform).
H.R. 9747 (Krishnamoorthi, D-IL), to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for career support for a skilled, internationally educated health care workforce (Energy and Commerce).
H.R. 9748 (Krishnamoorthi, D-IL), to provide consumer protections for students (Education and Workforce).
H.R. 9765 (Smith, D-WA), to amend the requirements for teaching residency programs under part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Education and Workforce).
H.R. 9766 (Smith, D-WA), to amend the National Community Service Act of 1990 to expand participation by underrepresented populations in service programs (Education and Workforce).
S. 4958 (Scott, R-FL), the Safeguard Kids Act, to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to enable schools to teach elementary school and secondary school students about the dangers, limitations, and responsible uses of artificial intelligence technologies, and for other purposes (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 4961 (Heinrich, D-NM), the Pre-Apprenticeships to Hardhats (PATH) Act, to direct the Secretary of Labor to support the development of pre-apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades that serve underrepresented populations, including individuals from low income and rural census tracts (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 4976 (Murkowski, R-AK), to improve outcomes for Native children by empowering Tribal communities, strengthening families, and increasing access to critical services (Indian Affairs).
S. 4984 (Cotton, R-AR), to amend the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 to ensure workplace choice and opportunity for young adults with disabilities (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 4988 (Booker, D-NJ), to promote equity in advanced coursework and programs at elementary and secondary schools (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 5012 (Kaine, D-VA), to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for career support for a skilled, internationally educated health care workforce (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 5021 (Merkley, D-OR), to provide consumer protections for students (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 5029 (Kelly, D-AZ), to amend the requirements for teaching residency programs under part A of title II of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
S. 5031 (Kelly, D-AZ), to amend the National and Community Service Act of 1990 to expand participation by underrepresented populations in service programs (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
On July 14, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a hearing entitled “Training Activists, Not Physicians: The Impact of DEI on Medical Schools.”
On July 14, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses held a hearing entitled “Combating DEI in American Institutions.”
On July 15, the House Education and Workforce Committee held a markup on the “Less Bureaucracy” package introduced the prior week, including: H.R. 9602, the Less Bureaucracy, Better International Foreign Gift Transparency Act; H.R. 9603, the Less Bureaucracy, Better International Education Oversight Act; H.R. 9604, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Tribal Education Act; H.R. 9605, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Foreign Medical Accreditation Act; H.R. 9606, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Child Care for Student Parents Act; H.R. 9607, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Workforce Development Act; H.R. 9608, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Family Engagement Act; H.R. 9609, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Student Aid Act; H.R. 9610, the Less Bureaucracy, Better K–12 Education Act; and H.R. 9611, the Less Bureaucracy, Better Higher Education Act. H.R. 9602, H.R. 9603, H.R. 9604, H.R. 9605, H.R. 9606, H.R. 9607, H.R. 9608, H.R. 9609, H.R. 9610, and H.R. 9611 were ordered reported, as amended.
No updates.