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

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED)’s Office of Federal Student Aid and some of its staff relocated to a U.S. Department of Treasury (Treasury) building pursuant to the Interagency Agreement between ED and Treasury.

A proposed rule published in the Federal Register would expand the circumstances under which U.S. Department of State (State) J-1 exchange visitor programs (which facilitate educational and cultural exchange, including for college students and professors) may be terminated. State will accept comments from the public until September 28.

CONGRESS

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held an executive session to consider several nominations and bills. The Committee favorably reported the nomination of Keith Sonderling to be Secretary of Labor by a 12 to 11 vote. The Committee also favorably reported S. 5046, to prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functions of the Department of Education to other Federal agencies, and for other purposes, by a 13 to 9 vote; S. 2511, the College Transparency Act, by a 21 to 1 vote; S. 3010, the 21st Century Dyslexia Act, by a 12 to 10 vote; S. 3589, the RISE Act, by a 22 to 0  vote; S. 4097, the State-Based Loan Awareness Act, by a 20 to 2 vote; and S.4689, the READ Act, by a 20 to 2 vote. The Committee did not vote on S. 5038, the Special Education Administration Protection Act.

The U.S. House of Representatives began the August recess and is scheduled to reconvene on August 31.

COURTS

A Federal judge in the State of Illinois ruled against several State laws allowing certain undocumented students to qualify for in-State tuition, State financial aid and scholarship programs.

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

Iowa Community College Is First to Secure Workforce Pell [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Nursing Coalition Challenges ED’s Professional Degrees List [Inside Higher Ed]

AI skills more valuable than MBA, new survey suggests [The Hill]
PwC Report: “The AI workforce planning gap in financial services”

Where Enrollment Stands as Fall 2026 Approaches [Inside Higher Ed]
Niche Report: “The Stability Illusion: Why a Calm Enrollment Cycle Wasn’t What It Seemed”

Senate Appropriators Aim to Temporarily Delay OMB Grants Rule [Inside Higher Ed]

Trump administration asks colleges to commit to education overhaul [POLITICO]

7 ways college admissions season is changing this year [The Washington Post]

National AAUP Starts Endorsing Political Candidates [Inside Higher Ed]

Will the College Transparency Act get the green light from lawmakers? [Higher Ed Dive]

Fired Over Speech, Professors Take Their Employers to Court—and Win [Inside Higher Ed]

Texas community college funding model faces ‘growing pains’ [Higher Ed Dive]

Senate education committee blocks parts of Trump’s Education Department breakup [POLITICO]

Florida English Professor Fired for Teaching ‘Political’ Story Sues College [Inside Higher Ed]

About 200 Howard University students reinstated after unenrollment backlash [The Washington Post]

What Can a Struggling University Do if It Can’t Cut Any More? Change. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor

Senate Majority Leader
Press Release: Thune: Republicans’ Working Families Tax Cuts Law Is Delivering for Hardworking Americans

House Committee on Education and Workforce
Press Release: Workforce Pell Opens New Doors for Students and Workers

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Senator Murray Remarks on Averting Shutdown & Democrats’ Fight to Deliver for Families in Spending Bills

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Press Release: Committee Releases Revised Protect College Sports Act

August 5: Full Committee Executive Session on Nominations, S. 737, S. 1748, S. 4199, S. 4407, and S. 5171
SR-253 and via webcast.
10:00 a.m. ET

Senate Minority Leader
Press Release: Leader Schumer Floor Remarks On Funding The Government & Delivering For The American People

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Senator Murray Floor Remarks on Bipartisan CR

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Press Release: Senate HELP Committee Votes to Approve Trump Admin Nominees

Press Release: Chairman Cassidy Advances Legislation Supporting Children with Dyslexia, Expanding Opportunities for Americans to Succeed

Statements and Webcast from the July 30 Full Committee Executive Session on Nominations, S. 5038, S. 5046, S. 2511, S. 3010, S. 3589, S. 4097, S. 4689, S. 3333, S. 4965, and S. 3097

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Murray, Heinrich Lead 37 Colleagues in Demanding Trump Administration Restore Funding for Energy Projects That Were Illegally Canceled and Politically Targeted

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions
Statements and Webcast from the July 29 Subcommittee Hearing on “The Impact of AI on the Workforce.”

Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation
Press Release: ICYMI: “Editorial: Congress should pass the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act” – Chicago Tribune Editorial Board

Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Manufacturing Jobs Flock to the U.S. Thanks to President Trump’s America First Economic Agenda

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Approves the Nation’s First Workforce Pell Grant Program in Iowa

Legislative Movement in Congress

S.2511 — College Transparency Act
Sponsor: Cassidy, Bill [Sen.-R-LA] (Introduced 07/29/2025) Cosponsors: (25)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 08/04/2026 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 537.

S.4097 — State-Based Education Loan Awareness Act
Sponsor: Murkowski, Lisa [Sen.-R-AK] (Introduced 03/16/2026) Cosponsors: (6)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 08/04/2026 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 539.

S.5046 — A bill to prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functions of the Department of Education to other Federal agencies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Kaine, Tim [Sen.-D-VA] (Introduced 07/21/2026) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 08/04/2026 Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 541.

S.5227 — A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow certain distributions from long-term qualified tuition programs for first home purchases, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Husted, Jon [Sen.-R-OH] (Introduced 08/04/2026) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: Senate – Finance
Latest Action: Senate – 08/04/2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

S.Res.830 — A resolution recognizing the 80th anniversary of the Fullbright Program.
Sponsor: Boozman, John [Sen.-R-AR] (Introduced 08/04/2026) Cosponsors: (3)
Latest Action: Senate – 08/04/2026 Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

H.R.10043 — To provide grants to Historically Black colleges and universities for such colleges and universities to provide scholarships to students who are descended from a person who was enslaved in the United States, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Wilson, Frederica S. [Rep.-D-FL-24] (Introduced 08/03/2026) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce
Latest Action: House – 08/03/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

S.2511 — College Transparency Act
Sponsor: Cassidy, Bill [Sen.-R-LA] (Introduced 07/29/2025) Cosponsors: (25)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/30/2026 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

S.3589 — RISE Act
Sponsor: Banks, Jim [Sen.-R-IN] (Introduced 01/07/2026) Cosponsors: (11)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/30/2026 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

S.4097 — State-Based Education Loan Awareness Act
Sponsor: Murkowski, Lisa [Sen.-R-AK] (Introduced 03/16/2026) Cosponsors: (6)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/30/2026 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

S.5046 — A bill to prohibit the transfer of certain offices and functions of the Department of Education to other Federal agencies, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Kaine, Tim [Sen.-D-VA] (Introduced 07/21/2026) Cosponsors: (5)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/30/2026 Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.
Press Release: Kaine Applauds Committee Passage of Bipartisan Legislation, Including Bill to Block the Dismantling of the Department of Education

S.5179 — A bill to clarify that for purposes of Federal nondiscrimination requirements applicable to education programs or activities receiving Federal financial assistance, discrimination prohibited under title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is based on the biological reality of sex.
Sponsor: Blackburn, Marsha [Sen.-R-TN] (Introduced 07/30/2026) Cosponsors: (10)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/30/2026 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

S.J.Res.199 — A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Health and Human Services relating to “Restoring Flexibility in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)”.
Sponsor: Murray, Patty [Sen.-D-WA] (Introduced 06/24/2026) Cosponsors: (17)
Committees: Senate – Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions
Latest Action: Senate – 07/30/2026 Motion to proceed to consideration of measure rejected in Senate by Yea-Nay Vote. 47 – 52.
Press Release: Republicans Block Murray’s Resolution to Stop Trump from Increasing Child Care Costs

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Public Service Loan Forgiveness Reconsideration Request. Comments are due on or before August 31, 2026.

Today’s Federal Register.