Overview
- The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee voted 13–9 on Thursday, July 30 to advance S.5046, a bill that would prohibit transfers of programs from four core Education Department offices to other federal agencies.
- An amendment by Sen. Patty Murray that won committee approval would force the Education Department to provide quarterly cost reports for each interagency agreement transferring programs away from ED.
- Education Secretary Linda McMahon and the heads of the six agencies receiving programs sent a joint letter the same day defending the interagency agreements as a ‘proof‑of‑concept’ that cuts red tape and improves results.
- The transfer effort is large in scale: reporting shows about 14 interagency agreements and a move of roughly 148 programs to six agencies, and advocates warn that shifting the Office of Special Education to HHS risks disrupting IDEA enforcement and services for students with disabilities.
- The bill now goes to the full Senate with uncertain prospects because permanently abolishing or relocating a cabinet agency would need broader support and probably 60 votes, while Republican fractures and appropriators’ power over funding create the main levers for what happens next.