Below is RAMC’s weekly Washington Wrap Up from Wednesday. Find out more about Wrap Up and other RAMC resources here.

March 26, 2025

CONGRESS

Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA), Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) wrote a letter to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) seeking answers to questions about the effects of the Department’s recent Reduction in Force (RIF).

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and group of 37 Democrat Senators wrote a letter to ED expressing their opposition to the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department, including through its RIF.

H.R. 1048, the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions Act (DETERRENT Act), is scheduled to be considered by the House Rules Committee on Monday at 4 PM, indicating that the bill will likely be considered on the House floor next week. The DETERRENT Act relates to reporting requirements by institutions of higher education on foreign gifts and contracts.

Senator Murray, Senator Baldwin, Senator Sanders, and other Senators wrote a letter to ED requesting answers about the cancellation of over $600 million in Federal funding for teacher preparation grants.

ADMINISTRATION

President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities.” The related fact sheet can be found here.

President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Additional Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions.”

President Trump issued an Executive Order titled “Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy.”

President Trump made a statement that he intends to transfer ED’s student loan portfolio to the Small Business Administration effective immediately as well as move ED’s “special needs” and nutrition programs to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Acting Under Secretary James Bergeron sent a letter to higher education stakeholders regarding functions and operations that will continue at ED despite the RIF.

ED announced that more than 8 million 2025–26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms have been successfully submitted and processed.

POLITICO reported that several teams under ED’s Federal Student Aid office have been brought back after initially being cut during the agency’s RIF.

COURTS

The 4^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted the Trump Administration’s request to lift the nationwide preliminary injunction blocking implementation of portions of Executive Orders 17151 and 17173.

A Federal district judge temporarily blocked the Trump Administration from deporting a professor at Georgetown University due to “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media.”

A Federal district judge ruled in favor of AACTE (American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education), the National Center for Teacher Residencies (NCTR) and the Maryland Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (MACTE) to reinstate Supporting Effective Educator Development (SEED), Teacher Quality Partnership (TQP) and Teacher and School Leader (TSL) Development grants of AACTE, NCTR and MACTE members.

As part of its compliance with a temporary restraining order issued last week, ED reinstated 65 fired probationary employees that will return to the agency on administrative leave.

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

Fired Education staffers say department doomed to fall short of its legal obligations [The Hill]

AAUP, Middle East Studies Association Sue Trump Over Deportations [Inside Higher Ed]

‘Undercutting your future’: What a higher endowment tax would mean for colleges [Higher Ed Dive]

NASFAA Picks Seasoned Financial Aid, Federal Policy Expert for Next President [Inside Higher Ed]

As Crises Grip Colleges, More Students Than Ever Are Set to Enroll [The New York Times]

‘Borrowers have zero power:’ Trump moving student loans to SBA sparks concern, confusion [The Hill]

Education Department Reeling After Layoffs [Inside Higher Ed]

AAUP, AFT sue to block Education Department dismantling [Higher Ed Dive]

New Trump demand to colleges: Name protesters — and their nationalities [The Washington Post]

Columbia student sues Trump admin over efforts to deport her [The Hill]

Trump’s Plan to Move Student Loans to SBA Raises Concerns [Inside Higher Ed]

Education secretary on canceled Columbia money: ‘We are on the right track’ [The Hill]

We Asked Colleges How They Would React to Demands From Trump. They Wouldn’t Say. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Trump signs order closing Education Department to ‘maximum extent appropriate’ [Higher Ed Dive]

Trump’s Battles With Colleges Could Change American Culture for a Generation [The New York Times]

Congress Eyes More Control Over Colleges [Inside Higher Ed]

‘It’s a Black Hole’: Facing the Prospect of Trump’s Cuts, Colleges Budget With Trepidation [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Trump to sign order aimed at closing Education Department [The Washington Post]

Judge blocks cuts to Education Department teacher training grants [Higher Ed Dive]

Trump Order Threatens University Libraries, Museums [Inside Higher Ed]

Georgetown University researcher detained by immigration authorities, lawyer says [The Washington Post]

Op-Ed: How a University Fights an Authoritarian Regime [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:

Senate Minority Leader

Press Release: Leader Schumer Statement On President Trump’s Devastating Executive Order Dismantling The Department Of Education

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Press Release: THIS WEEK: Senate HELP Committee to Hold Hearing to Address Antisemitism on College Campuses

Press Release: Chair Cassidy Applauds Trump Effort to Return Education Power to Students & Families

March 27: Full Committee Hearing on “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus: Ensuring Safe Learning Environments for All Students”

Witnesses: TBA

562 Dirksen Senate Office Building

10:00 a.m. ET

House Minority Leader

Press Release: Leader Jeffries Statement On Republicans Gutting Public Education

House Committee on Education and Workforce

Press Release: Mackenzie Holds Hearing on the Future of Wage Laws

Press Release: Chair Walberg, House GOP Leadership, and Committee Chairs Issue Joint Statement on Budget Reconciliation

Press Release: Committee Democrats Take Action to Hold the President Accountable for His Effort to Dismantle the Department of Education

Press Release: Chair Walberg Letter to DOL Calls for Oversight on Issues Biden-Harris Neglected

Press Release: Chair Walberg Reacts to EO on Dismantling ED

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott’s Statement on Trump Dismantling ED

Press Release: Ranking Members Scott and Connolly Call for an Immediate Halt to the Illegal Dismantling of ED

Statements and Webcast from Yesterday’s Subcommittee Hearing on The Future of Wage Laws: Assessing the FLSA’s Effectiveness, Challenges, and Opportunities.

House Committee on Appropriations

Press Release: President Trump Decimates the Path to Achieving the American Dream

House Committee on Small Business

Press Release: Chairman Williams’ Statement on President Trump’s Announcement that the SBA Will Handle the Student Loan Portfolio

Press Release: Ranking Member Velázquez Denounces Trump’s SBA Student Loan Takeover

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: On Education, President Trump Knows We Can Do Better

White House Executive Order: Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Empowers Parents, States, and Communities to Improve Education Outcomes

White House Press Release: Advocates, Lawmakers, Parents Applaud President Trump’s Bold Action on Education

ED Press Release: ED, HHS, and GSA Respond to Columbia University’s Actions to Comply with Joint Task Force Pre-Conditions

ED Press Release: Statement on President Trump’s Executive Order to Return Power Over Education to States and Local Communities

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.17 — To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages on the basis of sex, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: DeLauro, Rosa L. [Rep.-D-CT-3] (Introduced 03/25/2025) Cosponsors: (216)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce; Oversight and Government Reform

Latest Action: House – 03/25/2025 Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction…

Press Release: On Equal Pay Day, DeLauro Leads Entire House Democratic Caucus in Introducing the Paycheck Fairness Act

H.Res.237 — Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of Education to transmit, respectively, certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the reduction in force and other downsizing measures at the Department of Education.

Sponsor: Scott, Robert C. “Bobby” [Rep.-D-VA-3] (Introduced 03/21/2025) Cosponsors: (14)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/21/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Press Release: Committee Democrats Take Action to Hold the President Accountable for His Effort to Dismantle the Department of Education

H.R.1048 — DETERRENT Act

Sponsor: Baumgartner, Michael [Rep.-R-WA-5] (Introduced 02/06/2025) Cosponsors: (21)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/24/2025 Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 242 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 24, H.J. Res. 75 and H.R. 1048. The resolution provides for consideration of H.J. Res. 24 and H.J. Res. 75 under a closed rule, and provides for consideration of…

H.R.1398 — Securing Strictly Needy Americans’ Pivotal (SNAP) Benefits Act of 2025

Sponsor: Rouzer, David [Rep.-R-NC-7] (Introduced 02/18/2025) Cosponsors: (3)

Committees: House – Agriculture

Latest Action: House – 03/20/2025 Referred to the Subcommittee on Nutrition and Foreign Agriculture.

H.R.1634 — ThinkDIFFERENTLY About Disability Employment Act

Sponsor: Stauber, Pete [Rep.-R-MN-8] (Introduced 02/26/2025) Cosponsors: (4)

Committees: House – Small Business

Latest Action: House – 03/24/2025 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 21.

H.R.1642 — Connecting Small Businesses with Career and Technical Education Graduates Act of 2025

Sponsor: Williams, Roger [Rep.-R-TX-25] (Introduced 02/26/2025) Cosponsors: (5)

Committees: House – Small Business

Latest Action: House – 03/24/2025 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 25

H.R.2271 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to modify the application and review process for changes of control, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Owens, Burgess [Rep.-R-UT-4] (Introduced 03/21/2025) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/21/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Press Release: Owens Tackles Bureaucratic Roadblocks in Higher Education

H.R.2272 — To make certain individuals ineligible to receive any Federal financial aid under title IV of the Higher Education Act of 1965.

Sponsor: Pfluger, August [Rep.-R-TX-11] (Introduced 03/21/2025) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/21/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Press Release: Rep. Pfluger Introduces Bills to Strip Visas and Federal Student Aid from Individuals Convicted of Assaulting Police Officers or Rioting

H.R.2276 — To prohibit the award of Federal funds to schools that promote certain race-based theories to students, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Roy, Chip [Rep.-R-TX-21] (Introduced 03/21/2025) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/21/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Press Release: Rep. Roy Reintroduces Education Bills to Defund Racist Curricula and Put Parents Back in Charge of Education

H.R.2281 — To reauthorize the Job Corps program, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Wilson, Frederica S. [Rep.-D-FL-24] (Introduced 03/21/2025) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/21/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

H.R.2282 — To reauthorize the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 1990, to improve access to relative caregivers, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Moore, Riley [Rep.-R-WV-2] (Introduced 03/24/2025) Cosponsors: (3)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce; Ways and Means

Latest Action: House – 03/24/2025 Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee…

H.R.2312 — To amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to revise the definition of the term “tipped employee”, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Womack, Steve [Rep.-R-AR-3] (Introduced 03/24/2025) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 03/24/2025 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

Press Release: Womack Reintroduces Legislation to Protect Tipped Workers

S.1115 — A bill to amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to provide more effective remedies to victims of discrimination in the payment of wages of the basis of sex, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Murray, Patty [Sen.-D-WA] (Introduced 03/25/2025) Cosponsors: (46)

Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Latest Action: Senate – 03/25/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Press Release: On Equal Pay Day, Senator Murray Leads Entire Senate Democratic Caucus in Reintroducing Paycheck Fairness Act to End Wage Discrimination, Close Gender Pay Gap

S.1123 — A bill to amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit an institution of higher education that employs unauthorized aliens from receiving funds from Federal student assistance or Federal institutional aid and to require institutions of higher education to participate in the E-Verify Program in order to be eligible to participate in any program authorized under title IV of such Act.

Sponsor: Banks, Jim [Sen.-R-IN] (Introduced 03/25/2025) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

Latest Action: Senate – 03/25/2025 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

Press Release: Senator Banks Introduces the College Employment Accountability Act

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Comment Request: 2026-2027 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) Comments due on or before April 7, 2025.

DOL Comment Request: Survey of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum for the Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum (REYAAS) Project. Comments due on or before April 23, 2025.

ACF Comment Request: Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) Automated Function Checklist and Data Quality Plan. Comments due on or before May 23, 2025.

NSF Grant Noice: Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education. Applications due on or before June 20, 2025.

DOD Grant Notice: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI). Applications due on or before September 5, 2025.

NSF Grant Notice: Applied Mathematics. Applications due on or before November 17, 2025.

ED Notice: Eligibility Designations and Applications for Waiving Eligibility Requirements; Programs Under Parts A and F of Title III and Programs Under Title V of the Higher Education Act of 1965, as Amended (HEA)

ED Notice: Tests Determined To Be Suitable for Use in the National Reporting System for Adult Education

ED Notice: Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind Program-Independent Living Services for Older Individuals Who Are Blind Training and Technical Assistance; Corrections

ED Notice: Retroactive Application of the Revised Version of the Guidance for Federal Financial Assistance

NIH Notice: National Institute of Mental Health; Notice of Closed Meetings

Presidential Document Executive Order: Additional Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions

Presidential Document Executive Order: Continuing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy

Presidential Documents: Strengthening the Suitability and Fitness of the Federal Workforce

NSF Grant Notice: Facilitating Research at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions. Applications accepted anytime