Republican lawmakers on the House Education and the Workforce Committee moved to make parts of the Trump administration’s Education Department reorganization permanent, releasing a package of bills intended to shift oversight of major federal education programs to other agencies. The measures, led by committee chair Rep. Tim Walberg of Michigan, would codify many of the interagency agreements already used to move day-to-day administration elsewhere in the federal government. The proposals include shifting large K–12 formula grant programs such as Title I and career and technical education programs to the U.S. Department of Labor, as well as moving management for certain family engagement and social services programs to the Department of Health and Human Services. Another bill would direct the Treasury Department to take over the federal student loan program, while other changes would not fully mirror the administration’s most recent administrative moves. Because the package would still require Democratic support in the Senate for procedural hurdles, prospects are uncertain. Still, the release signals that program administration and accountability for student aid and K–12 education funding could face structural changes that colleges and universities feel indirectly through cross-sector policy, compliance requirements, and the operational environment for student access.
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