House Republican lawmakers marked up education legislation Tuesday that would reauthorize and rewrite the Higher Education Act, shifting its priorities away from higher education and instead toward apprenticeship programs and vocational training.
Democrats opposed the bill, arguing that the changes favor for-profit colleges and would make it harder for students to afford a four-year college degree.
The approved the legislation around midnight by a 23-17 party-line vote.
Republicans argued that the changes were long-overdue reforms to an educational system that doesn't adequately serve the needs of students, employers or the economy. Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-N.C., chairwoman of the Education and the Workforce Committee, said the current system was largely responsible for existing unemployment.
"Today, there are six million unfilled jobs in this country. Those jobs are unfilled because many employers have found that applicants lack the needed skills for those jobs. Today, Americans carry more than a trillion dollars in student debt. Somehow, despite the six types of federal student loans, nine repayment plans, eight forgiveness programs, and 32 deferment and forbearance options out there, college costs continue to surge, leaving millions of families paying the price for well-intentioned but poorly executed federal involvement. That is why this bill is before us today," Foxx said during a markup Tuesday.
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01.22.2025