There was significant activity across federal agencies and Congress this week. On April 28, Secretary McMahon testified in the Senate regarding the Department of Education’s (ED) fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to Congress. Lawmakers worked on a number of bills as well, including the Farm Bill and a bill to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security, which was finally passed. The Department of Labor (DOL) also celebrated National Apprenticeship Week. Read more updates below.  

• Secretary McMahon Testifies on President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request: On April 28, the Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies convened a hearing titled “A Review of the President’s Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Request for the Department of Education.” Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified regarding ED’s FY 2027 budget request to Congress. Read more on the blog.  

• ED Releases Final Rule on Higher Graduate Loan Caps: On April 30, ED finalized regulations that will put new loan limits in place for postbaccalaureate degrees. The finalized rule maintains ED’s definition of ‘professional.’ Access to the highest amount of federal loans will be limited to 11 degree programs. All other degree programs will be deemed ‘graduate,’ and students will have access to $20,500 per year or $100,000 in total.    

• Trump Administration Fires National Science Board Members: On April 24, President Trump fired all members of the National Science Board, which oversees activities at the National Science Foundation (NSF). Several lawmakers expressed outrage at the decision, and the White House indicated that the NSF’s work will continue as normal and that the duties of the board may need to be updated. 

• House Advances the Farm Bill: On April 30, the House voted to pass the Farm, Food and National Security Act of 2026, advancing the bill to the Senate for consideration. The bill includes a new community college grant program that would provide colleges with funding to develop and implement agricultural job training and educational opportunities. 

• DOL Publishes WIOA State Allotments: On April 28, the DOL published state allotments for WIOA grant programs to the Federal Register, including Wagner-Peyser and Workforce Information Grants. 

• DOL Launches Website to Expand AI-Focused Registered Apprenticeship Programs: On April 29, DOL announced the launch of its AI in Registered Apprenticeship Innovation Portal, a resource for organizations looking to build artificial intelligence literacy and develop AI-focused Registered Apprenticeship programs.  

• New Senate Report on Office for Civil Rights: A new report from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee found that the Office for Civil Rights at ED resolved only 1% of its pending cases in 2025, following staffing reductions and regional office closures. 

• ED Launches Federal Student Aid Fraud Prevention Effort: On April 27, ED launched a fraud detection capability for the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form. Effective immediately, fraud detection is built directly into the FAFSA itself, with every applicant evaluated in real-time using risk-based identity screening. Applicants who display a certain level of fraud risk will now be required to present government-issued identification before accessing federal student aid funds such as Pell Grants and federal student loans.    

• ED and Treasury to Launch New Collection Program for Defaulted Loan Borrowers: Two agency officials that spoke with POLITICO indicated that ED and the Treasury Department are set to launch a new loan collection program as soon as July targeting defaulted student loan borrowers. These borrowers are expected to begin receiving communications on their defaulted loans, but the agencies indicated that specific collection tactics, like seizing wages to pay debt, are not expected to be launched until sometime after the midterms.  

• Federal Court Expands Pause on Postsecondary Data Collections to Include More Schools: Following an earlier ruling pausing collections for some schools, a federal judge on April 24 expanded the pause to include more than 170 additional colleges. The ruling pauses ED’s collection of race and sex admissions data from these schools, which the agency plans on evaluating to determine if schools are engaging in DEI-related practices. 

• Trump Administration Reallocated Over $1B in Education Funding: An analysis conducted by Education Week based on published budget documents found that, in the first few months of the Trump Administration, ED took over $1 billion in funding that was appropriated by Congress for specific programs and either reallocated the funds to serve other purposes or have not spent it at all.  

• Secretary McMahon Meeting with Senate HELP Committee Canceled: A closed-door meeting between Education Secretary McMahon and the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions was canceled on April 29 after disagreements over transparency related to inter-agency agreements.  

• DOJ Extends Deadline for ADA Website Compliance: On April 20, the Department of Justice extended the deadline for state and local governmental entities (including public educational institutions) to ensure their webpages and mobile apps meet new accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act.