Why It Matters

The House Education and Workforce Committee is set to examine the Department of Education at a moment when the administration has withheld roughly $2 billion in congressionally appropriated education grants, cut nearly half the department's workforce, and signaled it wants to relocate or eliminate core programs. For millions of students, parents, and educators, what happens in that hearing room on May 14 could shape whether federal education funding flows or stays frozen.

The Trump administration has listed 35 Education Department programs with most or all of their fiscal year 2026 appropriations marked as "unallocated," according to Education Week. The affected programs range from American History and Civics to Native Hawaiian Education. The practical effect: money Congress already approved is sitting idle, and the executive branch has not given the department permission to spend it.

The Bigger Picture

That funding freeze sits alongside a broader restructuring. Federal News Network reported in March that the department has shed roughly half its staff, dropping from approximately 4,000 employees to 2,000, as the administration moves ahead with plans to transfer core programs to other federal agencies. Secretary Linda McMahon has stated publicly that the administration's goal is to "responsibly eliminate Federal bureaucracy and return education to the states."

Just two weeks before the House hearing, McMahon testified before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee in what NPR described as a "fiery" session, with Senate Democrats arguing the administration's actions "have made life harder for parents and students." Education Week noted that McMahon continues to pursue relocating special education programs away from the department, a move that would affect students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Compounding the funding concerns, the Hechinger Report found that $289 million in federal education research funding, already appropriated by Congress, may go unspent because the Office of Management and Budget has not approved its release. Researchers at the Institute of Education Sciences, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation are among those affected.

The hearing is scheduled for 2:15 p.m. on May 14. Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) chairs the committee, with Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA) serving as ranking member.

The Legislative Backdrop

Rep. Thomas Massie introduced a bill that would terminate the Department of Education on December 31, 2026, a proposal that makes the committee's oversight function more consequential in the near term.

Lobbying disclosures reflect the breadth of stakeholder concern. The National Education Association spent more than $2.4 million across five filings in the past year on issues including federal student aid changes, higher education regulatory rollbacks, and private school tuition tax vouchers. The American Federation of Teachers and allied organizations spent an additional $2 million on related priorities. School administrator organizations have filed disclosures specifically referencing "Preserving a US Department of Education" and "Reforms to the Institute for Education Sciences" as active lobbying targets. Across all directly relevant filings, education stakeholders reported more than $6.7 million in lobbying expenditure on issues tied to the department's policies and funding.

Special education advocates have been particularly active, with multiple organizations filing disclosures focused on IDEA reauthorization and fiscal year 2026 appropriations for special education programs. Head Start supporters have also mobilized, with eight separate filings addressing early childhood education funding during the same period.

The committee meets with no witnesses formally identified in the public record as of this writing.

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