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 the Department of Education’s (ED) fiscal year (FY) 2027 budget request to Congress.

The hearing provided members of the subcommittee with the opportunity to ask McMahon questions about ED’s proposed funding levels and other policy changes implemented over the last year.

The budget request for FY 2027 proposes level funding for the Perkins State Grant while also proposing cuts or program elimination for several other programs. A summary of the Trump Administration’s budget request can be found here.

Throughout the hearing, senators asked McMahon about the interagency agreements (IAA) that would shift the administration of program funding from ED to other agencies, including the Department of Labor (DOL).

In reference to the IAA transferring the administration of Perkins funding to DOL, Ranking Member Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) said that ED claimed success “without evidence” that the transfer of funds went smoothly. She went on to say, “That transfer has not gone smoothly and it has, in fact, cost the taxpayers even more.”

In response, Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) asked McMahon about the metrics ED uses to define success from the move. McMahon said that the metrics are based on whether the funds are “going out on time and getting to where they needed to go without complaints.” She also said that ED has not received complaints from states regarding this IAA.

As the appropriations process continues to unfold, McMahon will continue to testify before both the House and Senate Appropriations Committees in the coming weeks.

A recording of the hearing can be found here.