As the dust settles on last week’s general election, we are starting to get a clearer picture of what changes will look like within the Executive and Legislative branches. There will certainly be some immediate impacts, and others that will have greater implications for the future.
Donald Trump won the Presidential race, and Republicans are poised to control the Senate and the House for the next two years. As of now, 12 new Senators and 59 new Representatives have been elected.
While we are waiting on the last few races to be called, it appears the Republicans will maintain a very slim majority in the House of Representatives, similar to their majority in this Congress. Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) is expected to remain in the Speaker position. Key agenda items that House leaders have discussed are work on the economy, border security and amendments to education policies such as Title IX.
In the Senate, party control will flip to Republicans, with the balance of power expected to be 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. y On November 13, Sen. John Thune (R-SD) was elected by Republicans as the next Senate majority leader, replacing Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) who is stepping down from this role after leading Senate Republicans since 2007. Sen. Thune has served in the Senate since 2005, and you can read more about him on his website.
The incoming Trump Administration has also begun organizing for the transition, including announcing nominations and meeting with congressional leaders and the Republican Caucus. Nominations have not been made for the Departments of Education or Labor, but we will be following this process closely.
One of the most significant talking points of President-elect Trump related to education policy has been a promise to abolish the Department of Education. It’s important to note that this would require Congressional approval, which has been difficult to secure historically. There have been numerous times over the Department’s 45 years of existence that similar threats have been made, but Congress has never approved this move. Additionally, even if Congress did vote to eliminate the Department itself, each individual program housed within the Department of Education would still exist unless repealed by Congress, and thus would have to be moved to other federal agencies. Due to the important role Congress will play in these discussions, advocacy on this issue will be critical. We will provide updates as more plans are shared around this campaign priority and alert you to times where it will be most helpful to contact your Members of Congress.
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