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@EdWorkforceCmte Passes Bills Spanning Reading to Retirement

WASHINGTON, D.C., March 17, 2026
 The Education and Workforce Committee passed seven bills today to strengthen literacy instruction, protect students, crack down on student aid fraud, and safeguard workers’ retirement savings.
 
Following the markup, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) said: “Today’s committee action advances a strong package of commonsense reforms to protect students, taxpayers, and the integrity of our institutions. These bills strengthen oversight of federal student aid, crack down on fraud and ‘ghost students,’ improve FAFSA verification, and ensure accountability in programs like the Truman Scholarship. They also promote evidence-based literacy instruction through the Science of Reading and safeguard children from inappropriate content in the classroom. Together with reforms to address abusive ERISA litigation, this legislation reflects our commitment to transparency, accountability, and better outcomes for students, families, and workers.”
 
H.R. 7894, Truman Scholarship Clean House Act, authored by Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY):
  • Restructures the Truman Scholarship Foundation’s leadership and selection process to eliminate political bias, ensure ideological balance, and restore fairness and accountability in awarding this taxpayer funded scholarship. 
H.R. 7890, Science of Reading Act of 2026, authored by Rep. Erin Houchin (R-IN):
  • Says federal reading funds may not support “three-cueing” methods and should go toward research-backed approaches like phonics, while leaving curriculum choices to the states. 
H.R. 7891, Student Aid Fraud Oversight and Accountability Act of 2026, authored by Rep. Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA):
  • Requires the Department of Education to flag schools that send aid to potentially fraudulent applicants and prioritize them for reviews and audits, while exempting schools that verify student identities before disbursing aid. 
H.R. 7892, No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026, authored by Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT):
  • Establishes a federal fraud detection system to identify suspicious student aid applications and requires schools to verify the identity of flagged applicants before federal aid is disbursed.  
H.R. 7893, FAFSA Verification Efficiency Act, authored by Chairman Walberg:
  • Allows the Department of Education to use Social Security Administration data to verify the social security numbers and citizenship status of all FAFSA applicants’ contributors to confirm their identities.
H.R. 7661, Stop the Sexualization of Children Act, authored by Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL): 
  • Prohibits federal education funds from being used for programs or materials containing sexually explicit content in schools.
H.R. 6084, ERISA Litigation Reform Act, authored by Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL):
  • Stops abusive class action litigation from penalizing employers who voluntarily provide retirement and other benefits for their employees.   

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