On February 5, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Education and Workforce held its first hearing of the 119th Congress. The new Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) offered opening remarks endorsing President Trump’s policies as restoring common sense, personal responsibility, and parental choice in U.S. education and affirming his commitment to passing A Stronger Workforce for America Act, the 118th Congress’ attempted WIOA reauthorization. 

In his opening remarks, Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) denounced the rumored executive order to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education and announced that Democrats plan to reintroduce bills on school infrastructure repairs, strengthening diversity in K-12 schools, doubling the Pell grant, and improving the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program.

Committee members heard witness testimony from:

  • Nicole Neily, President of Parents Defending Education, who called on the U.S. education system to shift away from identity politics and refocus schools on core subjects.
  • Preston Cooper, Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who discussed congressional opportunities to address longstanding issues in the federal student loan program through risk.
  • Janai Nelson, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, who spoke about disparate student outcomes in K-12 schools, and advocated against using federal tax dollars for private education.
  • Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., President and CEO of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), who closed witness testimony with a holistic view on the state of U.S. education, highlighting that employers are increasingly shifting to skills-based hiring and emphasizing the importance of alignment between K-12, higher education, and workforce systems.

During the hearing, Chairman Walberg described the federal student loan system as “irreparably broken,” so look for him to continue former Chairwoman Foxx’s focus on postsecondary education and efforts to reform federal student loans.

W/A will continue to keep a close eye on Congressional Committee activity, particularly the U.S. Senate confirmation hearing of Linda McMahon scheduled for February 13.