The 118th Congress has commenced with chaos, as Republicans have failed to choose a candidate for speaker of the house after five ballots over two days. It’s the first time since 1923 that a speaker has not been chosen on the first ballot. The lack of a speaker has paralyzed the lower chamber and delayed choices about who will lead committees, including the House Committee for Education and Labor, which Republicans are expected to rename Education and the Workforce, as has been their custom when in power since 2010.
Craig Lindwarm, vice president for governmental affairs of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities
A leading contender for the chairmanship is U.S. Rep. Virginia Foxx, a North Carolina representative who previously served as chairwoman of the committee from 2017-2019 and was most recently the ranking member. Last December, Foxx secured a waiver allowing her to circumvent Republican term-limit rules to potentially lead the committee again. But Foxx has competition. Michigan representative Tim Walberg has thrown his hat into the ring as well.
If Foxx chairs the committee, making predictions about what it will do becomes easier, according to Craig Lindwarm, vice president for governmental affairs of the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities.
“Virginia Foxx has been chair of that committee before. She’s known to the higher ed world,” he said. “Congressman Walberg doesn’t have as extensive a public record on these issues.”
Lindwarm believes that a Foxx-chaired committee would have a strong focus on higher ed. Foxx is a former college administrator and had previously introduced several pieces of higher ed legislation, including a reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in 2017.
“Virginia Foxx is deeply, deeply interested in higher education,” said Lindwarm.
But she or any other chairperson is expected to have a difficult time finding common ground with Senate Democrats who control the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
