Seeking to address what it labeled as an education crisis, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held its first hearing of the 118^th Congress and gave light to the planned committee priorities for the year ahead.
 
In her opening statement, Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC), expressed the importance of education freedom and giving more rights to parents. She also said she wants to protect the integrity of Title IX and maintain a level playing field for women and girls in sports. Regarding postsecondary education, she mentioned the need to address the rising cost of college and poor student outcomes and expressed her disdain for the Biden Administration’s attempts to enact a retroactive free college agenda through student debt relief.
 
Stating that she believes students should be able to receive a high-quality education that enables them to repay their loans and be career ready, Rep. Foxx said that Republicans plan to pass commonsense legislation that fixes the inherent problems in the country’s federal student loan and accountability systems and protects both borrowers and taxpayers. Her Republican colleagues echoed these sentiments and also questioned the witnesses on such issues as students overborrowing for college, the importance of institutional risk sharing, programmatic accountability, and the importance of institutions partnering with business to help students obtain the skills they need.
 
Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) began his opening statement by touting the success of the COVID relief funding that Congress provided to the education sector and expressed his disappointment over the fact that no Republican Member of Congress voted in favor of the American Rescue Plan.
 
He also criticized Republican Attorneys General who are suing to prevent over 40 million eligible student loan borrowers from accessing student loan relief while Congressional Republicans are simultaneously introducing legislation that would make severe cuts to programs that help students afford a college degree. He expressed his frustration over Republicans opposing the expansion of Registered Apprenticeship programs, and his Democratic colleagues echoed his concerns as well as the need to address equity in higher education, increased accountability of for-profit institutions, college affordability, and promote free college.
 
The committee invited four witnesses to provide testimony and answer questions.  The witnesses were: Virginia Gentles, director of the Education Freedom Center at the Independent Women’s Forum; Monty Sullivan, president of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System; Colorado Governor Jared Polis; and Scott Pulsipher, president of Western Governors University.
 
In the hearing, Members identified that they plan to introduce the following pieces of legislation this Congress: The Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act, the America’s College Promise Act, the College Cost Transparency Act, and the Students Not Profits Act. House Education Committee Republicans have already introduced the PELL Act that allows for all institutions to award Pell grants to their students in short-term programs.