E&W Blog

Today, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee will hold a confirmation hearing for Miguel Cardona, President Biden’s nominee to lead the Department of Education.

Ahead of today’s confirmation hearing, Education and Labor Committee Republicans have a few questions:

Will Mr. Cardona work with states to safely reopen America’s schools?
The CDC recently stated that America’s schools can safely reopen if proper safety precautions are taken. Yet, the Biden administration is siding with teachers’ unions and their interests over the needs of children. Students’ grades are falling, their mental health and wellbeing are legitimately at stake. The Department of Education should work with states and local officials to safely get our children back in the classroom, not succumb to the wishes of teacher’ unions and special interests.

Will Mr. Cardona protect the due process rights of students?
Last year, the Trump administration completed a thorough rulemaking process to bring much-needed clarity to schools’ obligations to address sexual assault under Title IX. The regulation replaced policies imposed by the Obama administration that court after court had struck down. The Trump administration’s policies protect victims of sexual abuse, guarantee fair processes to all parties, and have already survived multiple ideologically-driven court challenges. Will Democrats stand up for fairness or are they only interested in protecting their own?

Will Mr. Cardona fight for student privacy and ensure that collected information is held securely?
As schools and students become more dependent on technology, especially during COVID-19, more personally identifiable information on students is collected and then vulnerable to attack. It is incumbent on the Secretary of Education to enforce the laws to ensure this information is protected. Data collection in schools and classrooms is inevitable, but students need an Education Secretary who takes their privacy seriously – their futures depend on it.

Will Mr. Cardona support policies that allow students to attend the best school for them?
Educational freedom is powerful. Unfortunately, the status quo too often consigns children to low-performing schools with no means of escape. The Department of Education should lead the fight in empowering parents to make the best educational choice for their children, and this includes ALL education options, from traditional public schools and private schools to public charter schools and homeschooling.

Will Mr. Cardona support the efficient administering of federal student aid programs and balance the needs of students, borrowers, and taxpayers?
Reforms to our federal student aid programs are desperately needed. But all reforms must start with the notion of reining in costs and making it easier for students to see their options. Currently, federal student aid is a complicated system that results in students taking on unmanageable debt and encourages institutions to raise tuition. We need an Education Secretary who will work with Congress and keep the needs of ALL students, borrowers, and taxpayers in mind, not just a few, when administering federal student aid programs.

Education and Labor Committee Republicans will be watching today for answers!