Author Archive
Management
Senate clears spending measure, leaves other major bills unfinished
The chamber’s final hours before the August recess included votes on Russia sanctions and an attorney general nominee, but several high-profile measures were left unresolved.
Management
CDC gets a new chief as agency faces questions over its direction
The Senate narrowly confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following a confirmation fight centered on vaccines and the future of federal public health policy.
Management
Critics argue Education's latest restructuring risks something harder to replace than staff
Former Education officials from both parties joined Senate Democrats in warning that moving key responsibilities to other agencies carries risks beyond staffing cuts.
Management
CDC nominee clears key Senate hurdle despite vaccine scrutiny
Dr. Erica Schwartz's nomination now heads to the full Senate after lawmakers pressed her on how she would handle political influence over the agency.
Management
Former Education officials warn agency transfers could undermine core functions
Officials from Republican and Democratic administrations said moving key responsibilities outside the department could create confusion and erode oversight.
Management
Labor nominee defends administration’s strategy for shifting Education Department work
Keith Sonderling argued the Labor Department is providing administrative support, not taking over policy, as Democrats questioned whether moving education programs across agencies will improve outcomes.
Management
Education's latest handoff tests the limits of its downsizing strategy
The department says services and protections won't change as HHS and DOJ take on larger roles. Critics aren't convinced.
Featured eBooks
Management
Trump plan to shift student loan oversight to Treasury draws Senate Democrats' backlash
Senate Democrats urge Education and Treasury leaders to rescind the agreement, warning the transfer of loan management responsibilities would worsen dysfunction and increase costs in the $1.7 trillion federal student loan system.
Management
Treasury to take over defaulted student loans as Education Department winds down
The Trump administration is shifting a $1.7 trillion portfolio to the Treasury Department in a multiphase process to dismantle the Education Department, drawing sharp criticism from Democrats and labor groups
Management
Trump Education Department outsources more responsibilities, continuing proposed wind-down
Two new interagency agreements shift certain Education Department operations to the State and Health and Human Services departments.
Management
Transfers at the Education Department spark fallout warnings from Senate Democrats
Lawmakers, union leaders and education officials say shifting programs out of the department risks losing expertise, adding bureaucracy and weakening support for students and families.
Workforce
Education Department civil rights staff returning to work to tackle complaint backlog
More than 200 Office for Civil Rights employees targeted as part of a larger RIF effort at the Education Department in March, they are now being brought back to the office.
Management
Trump’s Education Department transfers illegal, Senate Dems say
Four Democratic senators blasted an Education Department plan to move certain operations to other departments through interagency agreements as “outrageous,” and “illegal,” saying it circumvented appropriations law.
Management
Plan to break up the Education Department would strain other agencies, Democrats and students warn
Lawmakers and student leaders say shifting major Education Department programs to other federal departments after deep layoffs and downsizing would create service gaps, weaken oversight and leave vulnerable students without support.
Featured eBooks
Management
Suit to block Education Department closure expanded amid agency transfers plans
A cadre of unions and school districts seeking to stop the White House's plan to shutter the Education Department have now added to their ongoing lawsuit interagency agreements transferring department operations to other offices.
Management
New federal student debt rule seen as tool to enforce Trump agenda
A new Trump administration rule, set to take effect in July, restricting eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program has drawn multiple lawsuits.
Oversight
House Dems urge Trump administration to act on health insurance claim denials
Reps. Bobby Scott, D-Va., and Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., call on the Labor Department’s EBSA to strengthen staffing, improve data collection and enhance appeals protections as claim denials continue to harm participants and beneficiaries.
Management
As health costs spike, a sour and divided Congress escapes one shutdown to face another
Few of the divides that fueled the 43-day shutdown have been resolved, and a fractured Congress is on the clock to find a budgetary solution.
Management
USDA won't shuffle funds to extend SNAP during shutdown, in about-face from earlier plan
Agriculture Department officials said Friday they cannot use a contingency fund to continue paying the SNAP program, despite earlier shutdown guidance allowing its use.
Management
Trump campaigned on closing the Education Department. Reality is more difficult.
Despite a wide range of cuts by the Trump administration, the momentum to completely disband the Education Department has, for the moment, largely run aground on Capitol Hill.
