FreedomWorks Foundation's Regulatory Action Center (RAC) submitted comments to the Department of Education supporting accreditation reform. An excerpt of the comments can be found below, and the full comments can be found in the attachment at the bottom of this article:

When President Trump’s budget request for fiscal year 2020 was released, many advocates of school choice were thrilled to see the cuts recommended for the Department of Education, to the tune of $7.1 billion. For those who believe that the federal government has no place in determining education policy, a $64 billion budget for the Department of Education is certainly preferable to a $71 billion budget.

“And at the U.S. Department of Education, Common Core is dead.” This is music to the ears of advocates for federalism, school choice, and, frankly, for student success everywhere. These words came directly from U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos last week at a conference in DC titled “Bush-Obama School Reform: Lessons Learned,” held by the free-enterprise think tank American Enterprise Institute.

The U.S. Senate has confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. Despite opposition from teachers’ unions, DeVos was able to get the nomination with a confirmation vote from Vice President Mike Pence. There have been many arguments for and against her candidacy for the nomination, but now she is US Secretary of Education. With her nomination, there are various positives to look forward to that could be of great benefit to education reform. The most prominent one being: increasing school choice.

The House and Senate are in session this week

The House and Senate are in session this week

The U.S. Capitol Building may be closed for the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, but there will be plenty of action in the adjacent Senate office buildings. Confirmation hearings on eight of President-elect Trump's cabinet nominees are expected this week. This follows confirmation hearings on six nominees last week. Initially, more confirmation hearings were expected last week, but some delays were announced. The House is expected to convene on Friday.