The Department of Education moment

Lawmakers hold a hearing on the Department of Education, reviewing the President’s 2027 budget request amid efforts to scale back the agency, cut funding, and shift key programs elsewhere. Department of Education has emerged this Saturday as one of the stories drawing attention in Philippines.

Key facts

• Lawmakers hold a hearing on the Department of Education, reviewing the President’s 2027 budget request amid efforts to scale back the agency, cut funding, and shift key programs elsewhere.
• The Trump administration's budget proposal includes $16 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that guarantees students with disabilities a "free appropriate public education." That's one area where the department is proposing to boost spending by $539 million over last year.
• Tammy Baldwin, Democrat from Wisconsin, yet again pointed out that the Education Department's proposed budget would cut $49 million from OCR.
• Department of Education will not come at the expense of essential federal programs, according to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.
• McMahon faced intense scrutiny as she testified before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee on the Trump administration’s FY27 budget request, which includes $75.7 billion in discretionary authority for the Education Department.

What we know

Going deeper, the Trump administration's budget proposal includes $16 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that guarantees students with disabilities a "free appropriate public education." That's one area where the department is proposing to boost spending by $539 million over last year.

On the substance, Tammy Baldwin, Democrat from Wisconsin, yet again pointed out that the Education Department's proposed budget would cut $49 million from OCR.

Beyond the headlines, Department of Education will not come at the expense of essential federal programs, according to Education Secretary Linda McMahon.

More precisely, McMahon faced intense scrutiny as she testified before the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee on the Trump administration’s FY27 budget request, which includes $75.7 billion in discretionary authority for the Education Department.

It is worth noting that the administration would also commit $500 milion to expand the number of charter schools, broadening the Education Department’s school choice expansion agenda.

By the numbers

At this stage, McMahon's first appearance on Capitol Hill in nearly a year was intended to unpack the White House proposal on education spending for the 2027 fiscal year

On a related note, At the time, McMahon said the cuts reflected the department's commitment to "efficiency" and "accountability." The office also shut down seven of 12 regional OCR offices.

Going deeper, McMahon promised that her department was working to hire more lawyers to work through a backlog of thousands of cases.

On the substance, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire brought up how some 88,000 borrowers are waiting to qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) buyback program, a process the department says should take 45 days.

What they're saying

“This isn’t reducing bureaucracy, it’s creating another layer of it,” Baldwin said. “Where states previously primarily dealt with the Department of Education, they will now have to deal with multiple federal agencies.

“It may be a high cost, but this Congress passed the president’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which provided a tax cut for an annual income over $1 million, and it’s now costing the taxpayers over $1 trillion,” rebutted Shaheen.

“Amid record-low test scores and record-high numbers of students buried in debt, Americans want results,” she added.

The wider context

On a related note, In her first appearance on Capitol Hill this year, lawmakers questioned Education Secretary Linda McMahon about students' civil rights and cuts to federal education spending.

Going deeper, Education Secretary Linda McMahon shared plans Tuesday to hire more lawyers to work on civil rights after about half of the staff, including many lawyers, at the Office for Civil Rights were fired last year.

On the substance, Education Secretary Linda McMahon defended her work dismantling the very department she leads, with Senate Democrats saying the results have made life harder for parents and students.

Beyond the headlines, Patty Murray of Washington asked why parents must now contact more than one federal agency for services that were once solely provided by the Education Department.

More precisely, Yet McMahon has also pledged to shift supervision and enforcement of IDEA to other agencies as a part of its effort to dismantle the Education Department, a move many special education advocates oppose.

The bottom line

• The Trump administration's budget proposal includes $16 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal law that guarantees students with disabilities a "free appropriate public education." That's one area where the department is proposing to boost spending by $539 million over last year.
• The administration would also commit $500 milion to expand the number of charter schools, broadening the Education Department’s school choice expansion agenda.
• When asked about those efforts, McMahon said while her team is still making a final decision, the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services are two potential homes for special education.