The U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate held pro forma sessions last week and did not conduct legislative business. Both chambers will reconvene for legislative business on Monday, November 30.

Press reports indicate that Senate and House appropriators have reached a deal on funding levels for each appropriations subcommittee, an essential step necessary to begin to finalize the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 appropriations.

The General Services Administration triggered the formal Administration transition process, enabling President-elect Joe Biden’s Agency Review teams to begin to work with existing Trump Administration political appointees and career employees on transition activities. An analysis conducted for the U.S. Department of Education (ED) projected that $935 billion in principal and interest would be paid on the $1.37 trillion in Federal student loans held by the agency at the beginning of this year.

ED removed a recently announced online tool designed to improve the process of filing a borrower defense to repayment claim. Press reports indicated that the Office of Management and Budget had not formally approved the tool when ED posted it. The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a proposed rule that would seek to reinstitute provisions impacting milk, whole grains and sodium requirements in school meals that were included in an interim final rule that was invalidated by the courts earlier this year.

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Education News Headlines  
[Click the link to read the article online]

Who Will Replace Alexander? [Inside Higher Ed]

Op-Ed: Is there an economic case for saving regional public universities and mid-tier private colleges? [The Hill]

Inequality of student loan debt underscores possible Biden policy shift [The Hill]

A College Professor as First Lady [Inside Higher Ed]

Op-Ed: Now is not the time to put college plans on hold [The Hechinger Report]

What Would a $435B Loss Mean for Federal Student Loan Portfolio? [Inside Higher Ed]

Princeton will allow many more students to live on campus in spring term amid the pandemic [The Washington Post]

How colleges are reenrolling stopped-out students during the pandemic [Education Dive]

Colleges Ask DeVos to Extend Break From Repaying Student Loans [Inside Higher Ed]

Looming end to student loan payment moratorium raises fears among defaulted borrowers [The Washington Post]

Op-Ed: Biden shouldn’t listen to Schumer and Warren on student loans [Brookings]

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Press Release: Pelosi Statement on Biden Appointment of Shuwanza Goff as White House Deputy Director for Legislative Affairs

Press Release: Scott, Murray: Moral Imperative to Measure Scope of Learning Loss Remains, Despite Postponement of NAEP

Press Release: Chairs Maloney and Scott Issue Statement After Department of Education Suspends Tool to Help Defrauded Student Borrowers

Press Release: Chairman Scott to GSA: Delayed Support for Biden Transition Team Will Have “Devastating Consequences”

Press Release: Murray to GSA Administrator: Put Our Nation’s Health and Safety Ahead of Political Loyalty and Begin a Formal Transition Immediately

Press Release: Committee Chairs Insist on GSA Briefing Tomorrow on Ongoing Refusal to Grant Biden-Harris Team Access to Transition Resources

Press Release: Chairwoman Johnson Applauds Biden Administration Pledge To Elevate Climate Issues

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White House Press Release: Remarks by President Trump on the Economy

White House Press Release: President Donald J. Trump Announces Intent to Nominate and Appoint Individuals to Key Administration Posts

IES Report: College Enrollment and Completion among Texas High School Graduates with a Disability

DOL Press Release: U.S. Department of Labor Announces WIOA Guidance on Priority of Service for Americans In Need

GAO Report: 5G Wireless: Capabilities and Challenges for an Evolving Network

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No relevant legislative movement.

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ED Notice: Measures and Methods for the National Reporting System for Adult Education; Correction.

ED Grant Notice: College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) Assistance. Applications due by January 22, 2021. 

ED Grant Notice: Research Networks Focused on Critical Problems of Education Policy and Practice Assistance. Applications due by February 25, 2021.

ED Comment Request: 2020/22 Beginning Postsecondary Students Field Test. Comments due on or before December 30, 2020. 

ED Comment Request: High School and Beyond 2021 Base-Year Full-Scale Study Data Collection. Comments due on or before December 30, 2020. 

Department of Health and Human Services Grant Notice: Preventing Violence Affecting Young Lives. Applications due by May 7, 2021.