DeVos Takes on “Education Establishment”

Posted on February 24, 2017February 24, 2017

In a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Feb. 23, the new Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos stated that higher education faculty tell students what to say and what to think. Her prepared speech reads, in part:

The faculty, from adjunct professors to deans, tell you what to do, what to say, and more ominously, what to think. They say that if you voted for Donald Trump, you’re a threat to the university community. But the real threat is silencing the First Amendment rights of people with whom you disagree.

The entire speech is available on the Department of Education website.

Release of New Immigration Executive Order Pushed Back

Posted on February 23, 2017February 23, 2017

Despite statements earlier from the Administration that it would release the next executive order (EO) on immigration this week, the White House announced February 22 that the new EO will not be released until next week.

Title IX Transgender Memo Rescinded

Posted on February 23, 2017February 23, 2017

The Trump Administration has rescinded an Obama directive aimed at protecting the rights of transgender students in public schools. A two-page guidance letter from the departments of Justice and Education told schools ihat the policy has caused a rash of lawsuits nationwide and needs to be reconsidered. The letter states that the Obama Administration’s interpretation of federal law – allowing transgender students to use bathrooms and locker rooms in alignment with their gender identity – did not “undergo any formal public process” prior to its release last year and “has given rise to significant litigation.”

The new guidance can be found here.

This Week in Congress, Feb. 21-24

Posted on February 21, 2017February 23, 2017

The House & Senate are both in recess this week. They’ll be back in DC next Monday, February 27 to begin a six-week sprint toward a two-week recess around the Easter holiday in April. Check the blog again next Monday for an update on committee activities!

Trump Aims to Release FY18 Budget Outline in Mid-March

Posted on February 21, 2017February 23, 2017

The Trump Administration is aiming to release its FY 2018 budget outline on March 14, an unnamed White House official told CQ over the weekend. The budget outline is not expected to be a comprehensive budget, but instead a “skinny” skeleton of what the Administration intends the full budget to look like. Some are expressing doubt that the Administration could make this soft deadline, given the new director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney, was confirmed and sworn in just last week.