Elections of 2024 are Known; the Tabulation Continues for the U.S. House of Representatives

The President
The president-elect is Donald Trump. Reflecting on his previous administration offers us insights into the directions he is likely to pursue in higher education during this term. He is likely to propose removing recent rules in areas such as gainful employment, Title IX, and student loan forgiveness. Other areas, including accreditation, may be recommended for changes. The accreditation proposals may resemble those proposed by House Republicans in this current session (i.e., the College Cost Reduce Act.) Additionally, there may be a proposal to allow states to establish their own accrediting bodies.

The Senate
The Senate has flipped to a Republican majority, which means that Republicans will now lead the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. Republican Dr. Bill Cassidy (LA) is likely to chair the committee. This change brings additional Republican members and fewer Democrat members to the committee. It will be interesting to know who the members of the committee will be. If Dr. Cassidy becomes the chair, we can look at his previously stated priorities in which he confirmed he wants to reauthorize expired legislation such as the Higher Education Act, which would be a very heavy lift. However, these priorities will be determined once committee assignments are final.

The House of Representatives
The House of Representatives tabulation continues, but Republicans will maintain a slim majority in the House. The Education Committee ratio will likely remain the same, resulting in few new members on the Democrat side, but on the Republican side, there will likely be a significant number of new members as current freshmen members seek to join other committees. This has historically been the case. CHEA will spend considerable time educating the new members on what accreditation is, how it functions, and how it should operate.

Representative Virginia Foxx (NC) has said she will not seek a waiver to again chair the committee. Currently, Representatives Burgess Owens (UT) and Tim Wahlberg (MI) are seeking the position of committee chair.

Representative Bobby Scott (VA) is likely to be the ranking member of the committee. Mr. Scott has been the ranking member for a number of years and the chair of the committee, bringing with him continuity and experience.

The makeup of the committee, its members, and the chair, will shape the committee’s priorities, which will likely continue to feature the accreditation provisions offered in the College Cost Reduction Act.

The Department of Education
No leading candidate has yet emerged to become the Secretary of Education. Trump’s priorities are expected to roll back some Biden-era rules, including those on gainful employment, Title IX, and rules on sexual assault. Additionally, there are indications that some Republicans could propose combining the USDE Office for Civil Rights to the Department of Justice and moving the administration of student loans to the Department of the Treasury. However, there is likely not enough Republican support in the House or the Senate to eliminate the USDE.