W/A’s Noah Sudow and Alex Davis attended a conversation with Dr. Virginia Foxx where she reflected on her past roles as both Chair and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Preston Cooper moderated the discussion with Dr. Foxx in which she proudly shared an overview of her recent work, including the importance of congressional oversight of the Executive Branch, the Committee’s recent scrutiny of elite colleges, including related to addressing antisemitism on campus, and, most notably, the College Cost Reduction Act (CCRA), which she noted had 150 sponsors and 55 additional commitments to vote.
CCRA is Dr. Foxx’s proposed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which has not been reauthorized since 2008. The bill includes provisions on a range of topics, including institutional risk-sharing, enshrining the legality of revenue sharing agreements in statute, and the collection of postsecondary data on student outcomes.
It is clear that Dr. Foxx is looking at Budget Reconciliation as a mechanism to pass elements of CCRA. Rep. Foxx highlighted that the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that the passage of CCRA would save over $180 billion dollars for the Federal government, hinting that its projected savings could mean that Congress may look to include some or all of CCRA’s provisions into Congress’ forthcoming effort to pass a budget reconciliation bill next Congress. CCRA was passed out of the Committee on Education and the Workforce on a 22-19 vote earlier this year but has not yet been brought up for a full vote on the House floor.
What’s next: On December 13, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) was appointed to succeed Rep. Foxx as Chair of the Committee. House Republican leadership voted to appoint Rep. Walberg as Chair over Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT), who also sought the top position on the Committee. Rep. Walberg’s appointment is set to be voted on by the full GOP conference in late 2024-early 2025.
