Why It Matters

The House Education and Workforce Committee advanced a sweeping 10-bill package on July 15 that would permanently transfer the Department of Education's core responsibilities to other federal agencies. The Trump administration has already begun dismantling the department through executive action, and this markup represents Congress' first major legislative effort to codify that plan.

The six-hour session proceeded almost entirely along party lines. All ten bills passed with Republican majorities, though margins varied slightly. The legislation directly aligns with the Trump administration's deregulatory agenda.

The Big Picture

Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI) opened the markup by invoking the 50th anniversary of the Department of Education's creation, framing the bills as deregulatory reform. The 10 bills would transfer programs from Education to the departments of Labor, Treasury, State, Interior, and Health and Human Services.

The package includes bills addressing workforce development, student aid, foreign gift transparency, tribal education, K-12 education, family engagement, child care for student parents, foreign medical accreditation, and international education oversight. Each bill passed on votes ranging from 19-20 yes to 15-18 no.

The bills would codify 10 of Education's 14 interagency agreements. They would affect programs within the offices of elementary and secondary education, postsecondary education, Indian education, career and technical education, and the Federal Student Aid Office.

Congress Testimony News

Democrats highlighted several operational failures that foreshadow problems if the transfers proceed. Treasury has struggled to manage student loan collections under an April 2026 interagency agreement, rescinding work valued at tens of millions of dollars assigned to five debt collection companies. Treasury is not expected to have adequate staffing until the end of 2026 at the earliest.

Several states reported problems accessing authorized funds through the Department of Labor's disbursement system following an earlier transfer of workforce programs. States have been denied access to funds for reasons including wrong ink color or abbreviating their state's name.

The Office of Federal Student Aid manages a $1.7 trillion portfolio. Moving it to Treasury, as one bill proposes, raises questions about institutional capacity. One debt collection company that Treasury rescinded work from had previously been accused of mistreating student borrowers.

The bills do not include transfers of the Office of Civil Rights or the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Democrats noted that historically, when states operated without federal oversight, unchecked racial segregation occurred in public schools, students with disabilities were refused education, and low-income communities lacked resources.

A letter from 93 education, civil rights, and disability organizations opposing the legislation was entered into the record.

Political Stakes

The markup reflects the Trump administration's broader effort to shrink federal education bureaucracy. The Department of Education already initiated a reduction in force, cutting nearly 50% of its staff. DOGE terminated dozens of contracts for evaluation studies and data collection.

For Walberg, the markup represents a significant legislative achievement aligned with his party's priorities. For Scott and Democrats, it signals a losing battle on education policy in a Republican-controlled House.

The bills face uncertain prospects in the Senate, where not all Republicans support dismantling the department. Some outlets have characterized the legislation as "long-shot" bills unlikely to advance further.

The Department of Education Organization Act explicitly stated the department was created because dispersing educational programs across multiple federal agencies had led to fragmented, duplicative, and inconsistent policies. These bills would reverse that consolidation.

The Other Side

Critics argue the Trump administration's promised deregulatory relief for schools has been limited in practice. Moving programs to multiple agencies could fragment policy again, precisely the problem Education was created to solve.

A new foreign gift reporting portal launched in January 2026, addressing one concern the bills aim to codify. Some programs being transferred predate the Department of Education itself, raising questions about whether dispersal represents genuine modernization or unnecessary fragmentation.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to open a new investigation on May 21, signaling ongoing congressional scrutiny of the administration's education restructuring efforts.

The Bottom Line

All ten bills have been reported as amended by the committee. They now move to the full House for consideration. The Senate's appetite for the package remains unclear, particularly given internal Republican divisions on dismantling the department.

Follow-up hearings are likely as the bills advance. Democrats will continue pressing concerns about operational capacity and civil rights protections. The administration's ongoing staff reductions at Education will likely accelerate if any bills pass.

Access the Legis1 platform for comprehensive political news, data, and insights.

Spot something wrong? Report an issue with this article