Below are some ways the next Congress will differ from the current one, through the lens of key congressional committees. These and other changes will be highlighted at an AACC member-only webinar on Nov. 9. Register today.
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) is the likely chair; Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) may be ranking member, though this has not been resolved. Current ranking member Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), as well as Susan Collins (R-Maine), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and John Husted (R-Ohio) all leave the committee. Senator-elect Julia Letlow (R-Louisiana) would seem to be a likely new Republican member of the HELP panel.
Sanders’ policy priorities do not generally emphasize higher education. Historically, he has supported tight controls on Workforce Pell (as with many other progressive legislators). His position on the College Transparency Act is not clear. Traditionally, though with exceptions, the committee works in bipartisan fashion.
House Education and Labor Committee
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) is the current ranking member of the committee and the previous chair. Scott is being challenged in this role by current committee members Reps. Jahanna Hayes (D-Connecticut) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-Oregon). Scott is generally favored but the outcome, to be determined next month, is uncertain. Areas of possible Democratic focus include: restructuring of the Education Department (ED); ED policies on Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and other related statutes and policies; and ED-grantmaking practices.
Senate Appropriations Committee
Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington) will likely take over the chair, with Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) serving as Labor-HHS-ED subcommittee chair. The full committee ranking member is unclear; Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) is the likely subcommittee ranking member. Defeated committee chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) has been a strong community college supporter and a supporter of the Pell Grant program, in particular.
The dynamics between Democratic-Republican relationship unclear, though the committee generally has worked in a bipartisan fashion. How spending bills will be negotiated with the White House remains to be seen. The committee’s Democrats can be expected to carefully scrutinize the administration’s changes to the structure of the Education Department.
House Appropriations Committee
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Connecticut) will again become chair of the full committee; she is also likely to become Labor-HHS-ED Subcommittee chair. Rep. Tom Cole (R-Oklahoma) will likely become the ranking member of full committee, and Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Alabama) will likely become ranking member on the Labor-HHS-Education
DeLauro and the Democratic caucus will likely call for substantial spending increases and tie spending to changes in administration policy; major clashes with Senate minority and White House seem likely.
