Senate Committee Acts to Block Education Office Transfers

July 24, 2026 - 02:44

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee voted on Thursday to block the Department of Education from transferring several of its offices to other federal agencies. The move comes as a direct challenge to the administration's plans to reorganize parts of the federal education bureaucracy.

Committee members approved a resolution that would prevent the transfer of the Office for Civil Rights, the Institute of Education Sciences, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. Supporters of the resolution argued that moving these offices would disrupt services for students and families who rely on them. They also said it would weaken oversight of civil rights enforcement in schools.

At the same hearing, the committee advanced two separate bills. One bill aims to improve literacy instruction by providing grants to states for teacher training and evidence-based reading programs. The other bill focuses on students with disabilities, seeking to streamline the process for getting accommodations and to increase funding for special education services.

The bills now head to the full Senate for a vote. The committee's actions signal a clear divide between Congress and the executive branch over how to manage federal education programs. Critics of the reorganization plan say it was rushed and lacked input from educators and disability advocates. The Department of Education has not yet commented on the committee's vote.