By Kelly Field
With the defeat on Tuesday of two members of Congress’s education committees, and the looming retirement and departure of several other education stalwarts, Congress is losing a lot of expertise on higher-education policy, and students and colleges are losing some of their strongest advocates. Here’s a look at who will be leaving, and who will be trying to fill their shoes.
Retiring or Not Running for Re-Election
In the House:
George Miller (Democrat, California): The top Democrat on the House education committee and its former chair, Mr. Miller has been a longtime champion of working-class and poor students. Among his recent successes are securing mandatory funds for Pell Grants, halving interest rates on student loans, creating and expanding income-based repayment options, and providing direct aid to community colleges and minority-serving institutions.
Rush D. Holt (Democrat, New Jersey): When Mr. Holt leaves office, in January, Congress will be down to one physicist—Bill Foster, an Illinois Democrat—and research universities will be out a chief advocate. During his 15 years in Congress, Mr. Holt, a former college professor and lab director, helped secure billions of dollars in federal funding for science and technology research, and created the Teach grant program for aspiring mathematics, science, and foreign-language teachers.
More>>
