This week, Congress held several hearings to review priorities and budget goals for the Departments of Labor and Education, welcoming testimony from both Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona and Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. Congress also held two hearings to address occurrences of antisemitism and other instances of discrimination on college campuses. The Administration has continued to work on other long-term projects, including FAFSA, and celebrated the Department of Labor’s first National Youth Apprenticeship Week.
- Cardona Testifies at Education and Workforce Committee Hearing: Earlier this week, Secretary Cardona testified before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in a hearing, “Examining the Education Department’s Policies, Priorities, and Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Financial Audit Failure.” Lawmakers discussed FAFSA and issues of free speech and civil liberties on college campuses. House CTE Caucus co-chair, Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson, and several other Members also raised questions related to CTE.
- Su Testifies at Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing: Secretary Su testified before the Senate Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations to discuss the President’s FY 2025 budget request as it pertains to the subcommittee. CTE Caucus co-chair Senator Baldwin voiced her support for Registered Apprenticeship programs, and Senator Capito, also on the Senate CTE Caucus, expressed her concern over the proposed regulations on Registered Apprenticeship programs.
- Bipartisan Committee Leaders in Senate and House Raise Concerns Over Rollout of Next Year’s FAFSA: Bipartisan committee leaders in the Senate and House of Representatives urged the Department of Education to prioritize the timely rollout of the 2025-2026 FAFSA form. This follows a tumultuous FAFSA rollout in December and many difficulties for students and financial aid offices since.
- Department of Education Announces 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars in CTE: Secretary Cardona announced the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars, recognizing 161 high school seniors, 20 of which are students in CTE programs, for their accomplishments in academics, the arts, and career and technical education fields.
- Department of Education Launches Next Phase of FAFSA Support Strategy: The Department of Education announced additional steps to support students and their families with the Better FAFSA. The Department is launching a multi-million-dollar program as part of the FAFSA Student Support Strategy to help school districts, state, nonprofits and other public and private organizations with efforts to boost FAFSA completion.
- New Apprenticeship Expansion Resources: The Department of Labor has released new resources on apprenticeship programs, addressing state leadership and policy, development and support of programs, diverse apprentice pipelines and alignment with career pathways and postsecondary education.
- Department of Education Issues New Guidance on Civil Rights Responsibilities: In light of current events, earlier this week the Department issued a Dear Colleague letter to school leaders containing examples of how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 should be applied in schools. The letter contains guidance for schools related to allegations of discrimination based on shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics.
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