Federal Update - June 4

June 4, 2025

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS HIGHLIGHTS

Senate On Deck: Upper chamber eyes edits to House reconciliation bill 

McMahon Returns: Education Secretary back on the Hill to defend Trump budget 

Kent Advances: Under Secretary nominee clears HELP, awaits full vote 

SENATE BEGINS ITS WORK ON RECONCILIATION

What You Need to Know 

Congress is back in Washington following the Memorial Day recess. House Republicans are energized after narrowly passing President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), but now the spotlight shifts to the Senate. Competing coalitions and complex parliamentary rules could make passage in the Senate challenging. 

Why This Is Important 

Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) aims to send the bill to the President by July 4. However, he faces pressure from two sides: fiscal conservatives pushing for deep deficit reductions and populists concerned about cuts to social welfare programs. Additionally, the Senate Parliamentarian may strike certain provisions under reconciliation rules. If the Senate passes a revised version, it must return to the House, where Speaker Johnson (R-LA) could face renewed challenges from his slim majority. While there’s little public information about potential changes to the education provisions by the Senate HELP Committee, a draft may be released in the coming weeks.

MCMAHON BACK BEFORE CONGRESS TO DEFEND BUDGET

What You Need to Know

On Friday, President Trump released his FY2026 budget proposal, which includes a 15% cut to ED. The proposal slashes the maximum Pell Grant and eliminates several campus-based and first-generation college programs. These cuts would come on top of those already proposed in the OBBBA. While the President’s budget is largely symbolic, it may influence Republican priorities during the appropriations process. 

Why This Is Important 

Following two recent hearings, Education Secretary McMahon returned to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to defend the budget before the Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee. She faced bipartisan criticism, particularly over the proposed elimination of first-generation college programs. McMahon is scheduled to testify today before the House Education and Workforce Committee. 

UNDER SECRETARY CLEARS HELP COMMITTEE, CONFIRMATION UNCLEAR

What You Need to Know 

Before Memorial Day, the Senate HELP Committee held a vote on the nomination of Nicholas Kent to serve as Under Secretary. His nomination was approved on a party-line vote.   

Why This Is Important 

It is unclear when Kent may be brought to the full Senate for confirmation, but it could be as soon as this month. There is a backlog of nominees waiting to be confirmed, and Democrats can and have used procedural maneuvers to slow down confirmations. In the meantime, James Bergeron will continue to serve as Acting Under Secretary.