A Senate HELP Committee vote advanced a bipartisan bill that would prevent the U.S. Department of Education from transferring its postsecondary office to other federal agencies. The committee approved S. 5046 in a 13-9 vote, setting up consideration by the full Senate. The measure would also block outsourcing of Education Department offices overseeing special education, elementary and secondary education, and Native American education programs. In the committee markup, Democrats attempted to add amendments that would include the Office for Civil Rights, but those efforts were rejected. Senators Bill Cassidy and Tim Kaine argued on opposite sides of how much Congress should constrain interagency agreements the Education Department has signed, including 14 agreements since May 2025 involving multiple responsibilities. The action matters for universities and students because it could reshape how compliance, reporting, and enforcement functions are housed federally—potentially changing timelines and points of contact for higher education programs subject to federal oversight.