Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg announced on Mar. 17 that the committee is considering seven bills aimed at strengthening literacy instruction, protecting students, addressing student aid fraud, and safeguarding workers’ retirement savings.
The proposed legislation covers a range of issues that impact students, educators, and workers across the country. The House Education and Workforce Committee manages federal programs concerning education, labor, health, and workforce development, according to the official website.
Walberg began by introducing H.R. 7894, the Truman Scholarship Clean House Act. He said the bill addresses political bias in the Truman Scholarship program by removing current leadership, adding safeguards against bias, and establishing a code of conduct for recipients. "A recent College Fix investigation found that liberal winners outnumber conservatives by a staggering 14:1 ratio," Walberg said. He added that an American Enterprise Institute study could not identify any recent winners focused on certain conservative priorities.
He also discussed H.R. 7661, the Stop the Sexualization of Children Act. Walberg said this bill would prevent federal funds from supporting sexually explicit materials in schools: "Federal dollars should never be used to promote sexually explicit material to children." Another measure highlighted was H.R. 7890, the Science of Reading Act of 2026, which prioritizes phonics-based reading instruction over other methods.
Two bills target so-called 'ghost student' fraud involving stolen identities used to obtain federal student aid: H.R. 7892 requires identity verification for flagged applicants before aid is disbursed; H.R. 7891 increases oversight of institutions suspected of disbursing aid to fraudulent applicants but allows them to avoid scrutiny if they verify identities first.
Walberg’s own bill, H.R. 7893—the FAFSA Verification Efficiency Act—would give clear authority to verify all contributors’ identities on FAFSA forms. The final bill discussed was H.R. 6084, ERISA Litigation Reform Act: "This common-sense bill takes a balanced approach to litigation reform and works hand-in-hand with courts’ efforts to curb abusive lawsuits," Walberg said.
The House Education and Workforce Committee influences policy on issues such as student loans and worker protections according to its official website. It serves in the legislative sector with jurisdiction over education and labor matters as reported by its official website.
"Simply put, without these important reforms, employees will continue to bleed as lawyers continue to feed," Walberg concluded.
