Senate Democrats warn that Education Department's agency transfers could harm special-education services

Senate Democrats gathered in a hearing to denounce the Education Department’s recent interagency agreements that would move its special-education programs to the Department of Health and Human Services and its civil-rights enforcement to the Justice Department. Led by Mazie Hirono, the panel featured former officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations who warned that the receiving agencies lack the specialized knowledge required to uphold the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and to investigate discrimination complaints.

Critics such as Chris Van Hollen and former OSEP director Valerie C. Williams emphasized that the damage from weakened oversight may surface only months later, affecting vulnerable students. Advocacy groups, including the Council for Exceptional Children, called on Congress to protect the department’s role in serving children with disabilities. The Education Department, through spokesperson Savannah Newhouse, rejected the accusations, asserting that families will retain direct access to civil-rights staff and that HHS will bolster support for IDEA programs. The debate coincides with a bipartisan Senate bill aimed at limiting the administration’s broader efforts to reassign Education Department functions.