The federal government shutdown has now lasted for over three weeks, making it the second longest shutdown in U.S. history. This week, Senate Democrats and Republicans debated bills that would pay federal workers during the shutdown, with Republicans proposing to pay only essential workers while Democrats want to pay all workers and also prevent the Trump Administration from conducting further mass layoffs as the shutdown continues. While no agreement on worker pay has been reached, negotiations will continue over the weekend. Senate Majority Leader Thune also met with several Republican lawmakers Wednesday to discuss ideas surrounding health care tax credits, which remain at the center of the shutdown. The House, which has been in recess since Sept. 19, remains out of session. Read more updates below.
- Judges Announced for “Your AI Horizons Challenge”: On Oct. 23, the Department of Education (ED) announced the judges for the “Your AI Horizons Challenge,” the third challenge in ED’s #CTEMomentum challenge series. The judges consist of leaders from national education and workforce organizations. Read more about the challenge on the blog here.
- ED Considering Moving Special Education Programs to HHS: On Oct. 21, officials at ED confirmed that the Trump Administration is exploring moving special education funding to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) through a partnership between the two agencies. An agency spokesperson said that although no official plan has been finalized yet, the move is part of Secretary McMahon’s goal to shut down ED. This potential partnership comes after the interagency agreement signed between ED and the Department of Labor (DOL) earlier this year, moving the administration of Perkins and adult education funds from ED to the DOL.
- White House Withdraws Kevin O’Farrell’s Nomination to Lead OCTAE: On Oct. 21, the nomination for Kevin O’Farrell to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Office of Career, Technical and Adult Education in ED was withdrawn by the White House. O’Farrell currently as the Senior Chancellor of Higher Education and Workforce in Florida’s Department of Education, and had been approved for the OCTAE position by the Senate HELP Committee in May but was waiting on full Senate approval, No new nominee has been announced yet.
- Colleges Continue to Mull Over Funding Compact: Oct. 20 was the deadline for a handful of colleges to submit feedback and to decide whether they would sign a funding compact from the Trump Administration, which would align themselves with the Administration’s priorities in exchange for preferential funding status. Most schools have so far rejected the compact, but a few have not yet responded and signaled interest in potentially signing.
- Trump Administration Agrees to Resume Student Loan Forgiveness Plans: The Trump Administration has agreed to resume student loan forgiveness for over 2.5 million borrowers enrolled in income-drive repayment (IDR) plans as well as Public Service Loan Forgiveness plans following a lawsuit by the American Federation of Teachers. You can view the text of the legal agreement here.
