Cardona Appears Before Senate Panel to Discuss Education Funding

On Tuesday, Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies to discuss President Biden’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget proposal for education. Cardona remarked, “this budget is about making responsible choices, together, to invest in that foundation for American opportunity – and raise the bar for our nation’s future.” Stated priorities included the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), youth mental health, and bolstering the educator profession. Member conversation largely focused on unrest on college campuses, transgendered athletes, and the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid. During her opening remarks, full Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Susan Collins (R-ME) discussed IDEA and stated, “we need to start getting those numbers up,” expressing her support for IDEA funding, one of CEC’s top priorities. Cardona’s appearance before the Subcommittee is one step in a larger information-gathering process ahead of the drafting of spending bills for the upcoming fiscal year.

To view the hearing, go here.