The future of the House education committee

Feb 21, 2024

QUICK FIX

— At least two candidates are already vying to replace Rep. Virginia Foxx as House committee chair.

— Democrats are frustrated at the disconnect between economic data and voter opinions.

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On the Hill

FOLLOWING FOXX: At least two House Republicans are already competing for the top spot on the House Education and the Workforce Committee as current Chair Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) is expected not to seek the gavel next year, our Mackenzie Wilkes reports for Pro subscribers.

Foxx, who received a rare waiver from GOP term limits to chair the panel this session, recently said at a higher education conference that it would be her “last time addressing the Community College National Legislative Summit as Chairwoman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce.”

Reps. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) both told POLITICO they’re interested in leading the House education committee next year. Owens, who chairs the subcommittee on higher education, said in an interview that he would “build on top of” Foxx’s work on the committee.

“I didn't come here thinking I wanted to be in [a] leadership position. I knew education was going to be my legacy and that’s what my team is all about,” Owens said.

Meanwhile, Walberg challenged Foxx for the gavel last year, and his name has also been floated for an opening to be the top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

More Hill news: “A Union Leader in Nebraska Tries to Leap to the Senate on Labor’s Strength,” from The New York Times.

In the Workplace

CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR: For years, economic thinkers on the left have advocated for more government spending and driving down unemployment.

“Higher wages, higher growth, higher productivity. Win-win-win,” our Victoria Guida writes in her new column. But there’s a disconnect between economic data and polling — because voters really hate inflation.

“What are we doing here if we’re not building an economy that people like?” one prominent progressive policy advocate told Victoria. The economic success hasn’t yet translated into political success, presenting a “worrying challenge” for Democrats who supported the agenda and President Joe Biden, Victoria said.

DIVERSITY CHALLENGE: A federal appeals court said Monday night that it would rehear a challenge to Nasdaq’s corporate board diversity rule, CNBC reported.

The Nasdaq rule intends to better quantify board compositions by requiring disclosure from companies. The SEC had approved the rule.

The move vacates a ruling from a three-judge panel at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in October in favor of the SEC in a case brought by the Alliance for Fair Board Recruitment and the National Center for Public Policy Research. Those groups argued that the rule violated the First Amendment and would encourage discrimination, while alleging that the SEC's approval violated procedural law.

More workplace news: “Black workers are enjoying a jobs boom in America,” from The Economist.

Even more: “When Brewers Enforce Non-Competes, Everybody Loses,” from VinePair.

Unions

2024’S HOTTEST TREND: Amazon and Starbucks in recent days have piled onto the fast-growing list of companies in the NLRB’s crosshairs that have fought back by asserting that the agency’s setup is unconstitutional.

The strategy — deployed by SpaceX in a federal lawsuit that a judge last week transferred from Texas to California at the NLRB’s behest — was quickly echoed by Trader Joe’s at a hearing in January.

Amazon “plans to argue that the agency's unique structure violates the company's right to a jury trial,” Reuters reports. “The company also said that limits on the removal of administrative judges and the board's five members, who are appointed by the president, are unconstitutional.”

Starbucks followed suit not long after as part of a post-hearing brief.

More union news: “Union Accuses Sierra Club of Plotting to Fire Strikers,” from The New Republic.

Even more: “MLBPA executive director Tony Clark says union ‘frustrated’ over new uniforms, seeks change before season,” from The Athletic.

IN THE STATES

WORK REQUIREMENTS: Several Republican-led states are hoping that Trump’s possible return to the White House could pave the way for increased flexibility to impose work rules in exchange for Medicaid.

In places like Idaho, Missouri and South Dakota, GOP officials are laying the groundwork to substantially overhaul their health safety-net programs, our Megan Messerly reports.

Their plans, if approved by a Trump White House, could cut hundreds of thousands of people from a program that conservatives have long complained is bloated — but the move could also save states and the federal government billions of dollars.

IMMIGRATION

VISAS AT RISK: A shift to treating college athletes as school employees could have ramifications about the eligibility of foreign players to receive student visas.

“Classifying student athletes as employees is at odds with the work limitations of the F-1 student visa—the category most heavily used by the roughly 20,000 international athletes enrolled at US colleges and universities,” Bloomberg Law reports. “The F-1 visa only allows for limited work opportunities, including 20 hours of work on campus or 40 hours when classes aren’t in session.”

Public awareness of these restrictions on international athletes has grown in recent years, due to continued questions surrounding their ability to profit from so-called name, image, and likeness deals without jeopardizing their legal status.

THE HARD SELL: Weeks after a meeting with the Teamsters, Trump posted on Truth Social calling the event “interesting.”

“They should go with Trump, rather than a guy who can’t put two sentences together, or find the stairs from a stage,” he wrote. “I will stop Illegal Immigration, which will Save the Teamsters. Biden will only make it worse!”

The former president and head of the Teamsters clashed over immigration, they said in separate press conferences after an hour-long meeting between Trump, the Teamsters board and rank-and-file members.

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What We're Reading

— “Biden’s top man on the opioid epidemic has created a ‘toxic’ office environment,” from our Myah Ward and Lauren Egan.

— “62% of Americans Lack a College Degree. Can They Solve the Labor Shortage?,” from The Wall Street Journal.

— “Private equity should share more wealth with workers, says US pension giant,” from the Financial Times.

— “These farmworkers created America’s strongest workplace heat rules,” from The Washington Post.

— “What’s going on with all these video game industry layoffs?,” from Polygon.

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