Last Week in Congress (9/8–9/12/25)
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.
With only two and a half weeks remaining in the fiscal year, the Congress has turned its focus to appropriations bills. The House and Senate Appropriations Committees have both reported their Departments of Labor, Heath and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026 (H.R. 5304 and S. 2587, respectively). Accompanying reports are available at: House Report 119-271, Senate Report 119-55.
The House and Senate spent significant time on the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act. On September 10, the House approved H.R. 3838 by a vote of 231-196; the Senate continued to discuss and consider amendments to S. 2296. While education is not the primary focus of the National Defense Authorization Act bills, education interests are sprinkled throughout, including: limitations on federal research grants to institutions with certain foreign partnerships or affiliations, prioritization of other research and STEM programs, expansion of data sharing for military recruitment, and limitations on Department of Defense access to gender-affirming care or participation in certain athletic programs in military programs.
Given time constraints, and shifts in focus (the Senate spent time debating and declining to release the Epstein files; the House considered 14 bills either limiting Washington DC’s home rule authority or imposing new restrictions on the District), it seems unlikely that either a free-standing appropriations bill covering ED or a long-term continuing resolution will be enacted by October 1. Negotiations are ongoing for a short-term continuing resolution.
· H.R. 5173 (Craig, D-MN), the No Social Media at School Act, to require social media companies to use geofencing to block access to their social media platforms on K-12 education campuses (Energy and Commerce).
· H.R. 5181 (Foxx, R-NC), the SOAR Act Improvements Act, to amend the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act to make improvements in the program for awarding school choice scholarships to students in the District of Columbia (Oversight and Government Reform).
· H.R. 5195 (Levin, D-CA), the Advancing Toward Impact Aid Full Funding Act, to amend section 7014 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to advance toward full Federal funding for impact aid (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5220 (Boyle, D-PA), to strengthen and enhance the congressional power of the purse (Budget; Oversight and Government Reform; Transportation and Infrastructure; Rules; Foreign Affairs; Judiciary; Energy and Commerce).
· H.R. 5222 (Casten, D-IL), establish eligibility requirements for covered educational employees under the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (Education and Workforce; Oversight and Government Reform; House Administration).
· H.R. 5224 (Cohen, D-TN), to amend the Public Health Service Act to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children (Energy and Commerce).
· H.R. 5234 (Jayapal, D-WA), to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish a program for the procurement of domestically grown unprocessed fruits and vegetables to provide healthier school meals (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5253 (Barr, R-KY), to provide that no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to award a grant or contract to an institution of higher education for the specific purposes of conducting fundamental research in collaboration with a covered entity (Science, Space, and Technology).
· H.R. 5255 (Brown, D-OH), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to authorize the use of Student Support and Academic Enrichment Grants for the development and maintenance of school and community gardens.
· H.R. 5295 (Bonamici, D-OR), to amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to raise public awareness for skilled trade programs (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5304 (Aderholt, R-AL), the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2026, to make appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026 (Appropriations). Committee Report available at: House Report 119-271.
· H.R. 5307 (Conaway, D-NJ), to provide a direct appropriation of funds for the Learn and Serve America program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and to expand the eligibility of such program to additional entities (Appropriations; Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5308 (Conaway, D-NJ), to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out grant programs to encourage student participation in local government and volunteer service (Education and Workforce).
· H.R. 5328 (McCollum, D-MN), to amend the Indian Self-Determination Act and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to provide advance appropriations authority for certain accounts of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education of the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services (Natural Resources; Energy and Commerce; Education and Workforce; Budget).
· H.R. 5334 (Panetta, D-CA), to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow early childhood educators to take the educator expense deduction (Ways and Means).
· S. 2739 (Booker, D-NJ), to amend the Public Health Service Act to promote healthy eating and physical activity among children (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 2740 (Husted, R-OH), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to encourage States to develop academic standards for elementary school and secondary school for artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 2755 (Cotton, R-AR), to provide that no Federal funds may be obligated or expended to award a grant or contract to an institution of higher education for the specific purposes of conducting fundamental research in collaboration with a covered entity (Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs).
· S. 2764 (Ernst, R-IA), to require disclosure of the total amount of interest that would be paid over the life of a loan for certain Federal student loans (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 2771 (Luján, D-NM), to amend the Indian Self-Determination Act and the Indian Health Care Improvement Act to provide advance appropriations authority for certain accounts of the Bureau of Indian Affairs and Bureau of Indian Education of the Department of the Interior and the Indian Health Service of the Department of Health and Human Services (Indian Affairs).
· S. 2778 (Wyden, D-OR), to amend the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act to establish a program for the procurement of domestically grown unprocessed fruits and vegetables to provide healthier school meals (Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry).
· S. 2782 (Kim, D-NJ), to direct the Secretary of Education to carry out grant programs to encourage student participation in local government and volunteer service (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 2783 (Kim, D-NJ), to provide a direct appropriation of funds for the Learn and Serve America program of the Corporation for National and Community Service and to expand the eligibility of such program to additional entities (Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions).
· S. 2785 (Kim, D-NJ), to expand the financial, health care, and educational benefits received by Peace Corps and AmeriCorps volunteers (Finance).
· S. 2791 (Bennet, D-CO), to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow early childhood educators to take the educator expense deduction (Finance).
· September 8, 2025: The Senate passed Senate Resolution 371, a resolution honoring the victims and survivors of the mass shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
· September 9, 2025: The House Committee on Appropriations began a markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies FY 2026 Appropriations Bill.
· September 9, 2025: The House Committee on Education and Workforce, Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions, held a hearing entitled “Unmasking Union Antisemitism.”
· September 9, 2025 – The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, Subcommittee on Healthcare and Financial Services, will hold a hearing entitled “Better Meals, Fewer Pills: Making Our Children Healthy Again.”
· September 9, 2025 – The House Committee on Ways and Means, Subcommittees on Social Security and Work and Welfare, will hold a hearing entitled “Untapped Talent in America: Removing Barriers to Work and Supporting Opportunity for Individuals with Disabilities.”
· September 10, 2025 – The House Committee on Education and Workforce, Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education, held a hearing entitled “From Playground to Classroom: The Spread of Antisemitism in K-12 Schools.”
· September 10, 2025 – The House Committee on Appropriations concluded its markup of the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies FY 2026 Appropriations Bill.