ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education’s (ED’s) Office of Inspector General released a report outlining staffing, operational, contract and grant changes made between January and March 2025 as part of the Administration’s workforce and spending reduction efforts.

CONGRESS

The House Education and Workforce Committee held a markup of several higher education bills focused on campus antisemitism as well as a bill pertaining to reporting by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The Committee favorably reported H.R. 8476, the No Antisemitism in Education Act of 2026, by a 20 to 12 vote; H.R. 4795, the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2025, by a 24 to 9 vote; H.R. 9203, the Student Protection and University Accountability Act, by an 18 to 15 vote; H.R. 2555, the Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2025, by an 18 to 15 vote; and H.R. 5505, the Equal Campus Access Act of 2025, by an 18 to 15 vote. The Committee also favorably reported H.R. 9381, the AI Workforce Assessment and Research Enhancement (AWARE) Act, which pertains to BLS reporting, by a 19 to 14 vote.

The House Committee on Science, Space and Technology held a markup of several bills pertaining to artificial intelligence (AI). The Committee favorably reported H.R. 2385, the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence (CREATE AI) Act; H.R. 5351, the National Science Foundation (NSF) AI Education Act of 2025; and H.R. 9334, the Workforce for AI Trust Act, by a unanimous vote, as well as H.R. 5584, the Literacy in Future Technologies (LIFT) AI Act, by a 34 to 1 vote.

The Senate voted 45 to 52 against considering S.J.Res.196, a joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval of the rule submitted by ED relating to “Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations.”

COURTS

A Federal district court partially stayed ED’s new definition of “professional degree,” preventing ED from enforcing portions of the definition that limited eligibility for higher Federal graduate student loan borrowing caps based on specific program criteria.

EVENTS

Penn Hill Group plans on providing clients with a summary of the following event next week:

June 30: House Education and Workforce Subcommittee Hearing titled “Field of Fees: Private Equity’s Role in the Commercialization of American Youth Sports.”