U.S. House Democrats urged the Department of Education to halt plans to dismantle the standalone Office of English Language Acquisition (OELA), warning the change could disrupt federal support for more than 5 million English learners. In a May 12 letter, Rep. Bobby Scott and other lawmakers argued that redistributing OELA programs across the department’s offices would weaken specialized oversight and tailored resources. The letter notes that OELA oversees federal Title III programming, including $890 million in funding and educator professional development grants. Democrats also cited concerns that transferring day-to-day management to other agencies could complicate compliance and the department’s ability to ensure English learners’ full participation. Department officials have described the effort as part of a broader “returning education to the states” approach. Even without an immediate legislative block, the lawmakers’ actions signal that English learner governance and compliance may return to Congress through future oversight and possible reinstatement proposals.