Dear Colleagues, It’s been a tense week in Washington as a vote to save the nation from default hovered on the horizon.  With a temporary solution in place, the rest of the year promises to be a continued set of cliff hangers. 1. First Log Jam [...]

Dear Colleagues, There has been a lot of “hurry up and wait” in Washington this week.  Some urgent deadlines have come and gone, while others linger.  Who said making legislation is like making sausage – it’s best not to watch?  This was one of those weeks. 1. Congress [...]

Dear Colleagues, Are you having a hard time following the Washington cha-cha-cha related to avoiding a government shutdown, enacting the big Biden Build Back Better agenda and more?  You are not alone!  We hope to offer a bit of clarity below. 1. House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill [...]

Dear Colleagues,  Congress returns on Monday, after a long August recess, where they will face a full agenda and a demanding timeline with significant education funding at stake. 1. Members of Congress are in a Race Against the Clock with Critical Deadlines Looming this Fall [...]

Dear Colleagues, We will have our full-throated Washington Update for you next Friday, but we wanted to provide an interim update on the big development in the House this week – the Committee on Education and Labor’s markup of the long-awaited Reconciliation bill – which [...]

Dear Colleagues, It’s been a week for celebration for education advocates.  The House Appropriations Committee delivered on President’ Biden’s goal of a 41% increase for education for next year.  This unprecedented investment is beyond gratifying.  It feels like the decades of advocating that we have [...]

Dear Colleagues, As we approach a long holiday weekend, Congress proceeds toward a pause, only to return July 12 with a full plate to manage. 1. House Appropriations Committee Set to Move on Education Spending Bill While many Members of the Senate traveled home this [...]

Dear Colleagues, With the official arrival of summer this week comes an avalanche of items backing up on the Congressional agenda.  Fireworks won’t be the only thing on tap in Washington during July. 1. Congress Will Sprint to the Fall with a Packed July Agenda [...]

Dear Colleagues, Tomorrow marks the first time the nation will honor Juneteenth as a federal holiday.  In signing the bill that creates this new federal holiday, President Biden said that this is a day to reflect on the “moral stain, the terrible toll that slavery [...]

Dear Colleagues, This week the politicization of teaching about race continued at a fevered pitch, as the Department of Education demonstrated a remarkable penchant for a laser focus in moving forward the agenda that Biden promised.  This is looking more and more like a trademark [...]