Congress spent most of the week attempting to pass a budget resolution that would allow them to fund immigration enforcement agencies and reopen the Department of Homeland Security without a bipartisan agreement. On April 21, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved its WIOA Reauthorization Bill. There was significant activity in the Department of Education (ED)and in the Department of Labor (DOL), Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer also announced her departure. Read more detailed updates below.  

• House Education Committee Approves WIOA Reauthorization Bill: On April 21, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved the “A Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026,” the House Republicans’ proposal to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA). The committee approved the bill on a party- line vote. A summary of the bill can be found here. 

• ED Solicits Comments on New Postsecondary Accountability Metric: On April 17, ED issued a notice in the Federal Register soliciting comments on the new postsecondary accountability framework that was established under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and is slated to take effect on July 1. The metric—known as Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS) and Earnings Accountability—would require undergraduate degree programs to show that their average graduate earns more than those who only hold a high school diploma. Programs that fail to showcase this in two out of three consecutive years would lose access to federal student loans and potentially Pell Grants. 

• Labor Secretary Chavez-DeRemer Announces Departure: On April 20, Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer announced that she would be leaving her position for a role in the private sector. The announcement follows an investigation launched by the agency’s inspector general amid allegations of misconduct. The White House indicated that Deputy Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling will become the Acting Secretary of Labor in her place. 

• Title I Grants to Continue to Be Distributed Through ED: Following concerns from state leaders on the transfer of grant programs from ED to the DOL, Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education Kirstin Baesler told leaders on April 17 that Title I and other formula grants under ESSA will continue to be managed by ED’s grant management system. This does not appear to impact the broader IAAs around these programs, which continue.  

• $289M in IES Research Funding May Go Unspent: An analysis from the Knowledge Alliance found that more than a third of federal education research funding—about $289 million—may go unspent when the current fiscal year expires on Sept. 30. The analysis highlighted a near standstill of special education research, with about 85% of special education research funding remaining unspent. 

• ED Wraps Up First Week of Accreditation Rulemaking: Last week, ED concluded the first weeklong meeting of its accreditation rulemaking committee. While some negotiators praised the Department’s attempt to overhaul accreditation policies to emphasize viewpoint diversity among faculty and other provisions, others expressed concern that the proposed regulations defied federal law. The second and final week of negotiations begin on May 18. 

• ED and Health and Human Services (HHS) Announce First Grant Competition under Partnership: On April 22, ED and HHS announced the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 competition for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program, a grant that aims to support campus-based child care services for low-income student parents. Applications close May 29, 2026.  

• Higher Education Groups Challenge DEI Ban: Higher education groups filed a lawsuit on April 20, challenging a recent executive order that threatens to strip federal contracts from colleges and other organizations over their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Under the order, federal agencies have until April 25 to insert the new DEI ban into their contracts.    

• ‘Clean Slate’ Legislation Reintroduced to Provide Relief to Previously Defaulted Borrowers: On April 16, lawmakers reintroduced three bills aimed at providing relief and a “clean slate” by removing default records from the credit history of borrowers who have acted to rectify their defaulted federal student loans. The three bills were referred to the House Education & Workforce Committee for consideration.    

• 27 States Opt In To Federal School Choice Program: As of April 15, 27 states have indicated their desire to participate in the first nationally available federal private school choice tax incentive program, according to the IRS. There is not yet a formal opt-in process for states, although the program is set to launch Jan. 1, 2027.   

• Senate Passes Resolution Recognizing Community College Month: On April 22, the Senate agreed to a resolution declaring April 2026 as Community College Month. 

• Secretary of Education Visits States on National Tour: U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon continued her Returning Education to the States tour, visiting two more states. On April 16, she toured Lincoln Technical Institute in Connecticut, which offers hands-on training in health sciences and skilled trades. On April 20, she toured Central Oregon Community College in Bend, Oregon, to witness their aviation training programs.