H.R. 433: Department of Education Protection Act
Sponsor
Jahana Hayes
Democrat · CT-5
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Jan 15, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Congress moves to stop Education Department cuts
Why it matters
Federal Student Aid, civil rights enforcement, and 16 other named Education Department offices would be locked to their January 1, 2025 setup. H.R. 433 would block current-year funding from being used to break up, shrink, or reassign the department.
H.R. 433 does not abolish or create anything new. It tells the Department of Education that money already appropriated for this fiscal year cannot be used to carry out a reorganization.
That ban is broad. It covers efforts to decentralize the department, cut staff, or change its responsibilities, structure, authority, or day-to-day functions compared with how it operated on January 1, 2025.
The bill's findings list 18 offices and institutes that Congress says make up the current department, including Federal Student Aid, the Office for Civil Rights, the Institute of Education Sciences, the Office of Postsecondary Education, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. In practical terms, the bill is meant to keep those functions from being reshuffled or downsized using existing funds unless Congress steps in.
H.R. 433 Bill Summary
What H.R. 433 actually does.
Current funding can't pay for a department shake-up
H.R. 433 bars the Department of Education from using funds already made available for the current fiscal year to carry out a reorganization.
The January 1, 2025 department becomes the benchmark
Any prohibited change is measured against how the Department of Education was organized and operating on January 1, 2025.
Staff cuts are part of the ban
The bill says a prohibited reorganization includes any move that reduces the department's staffing level.
Smaller internal restructures are covered too
The restriction is not limited to eliminating the department. It also covers decentralizing it or changing its responsibilities, structure, authority, or functionality.
Named education offices get practical protection
The bill's findings identify 18 offices and institutes in the current department, including Federal Student Aid, the Office for Civil Rights, and the Institute of Education Sciences.
Congress says this restriction controls over conflicting authority
The bill states that the funding ban applies even if other legal authority might otherwise be cited for a reorganization.
Who benefits from H.R. 433?
Students and families using Federal Student Aid
If you depend on grants, loans, or loan servicing, H.R. 433 aims to keep Federal Student Aid from being reorganized with current-year funds.
Families filing school civil rights complaints
The Office for Civil Rights is one of 18 named offices in the bill's findings, so families relying on those investigations could see more continuity if the department cannot be restructured midyear.
Students with disabilities and schools using support programs
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services is specifically identified, which matters if you rely on special education oversight or related services.
Education researchers, states, and school systems
The bill's findings include the Institute of Education Sciences plus K-12 and higher education offices, signaling Congress wants those functions kept in place during the fiscal year.
Department of Education employees
Because the bill explicitly bars staffing reductions tied to a reorganization, employees would have added protection against agency-wide restructuring this fiscal year.
Who is affected by H.R. 433?
Department of Education leadership
Agency leaders would be unable to use existing appropriated funds this fiscal year to cut staff, decentralize offices, or shift major responsibilities.
The White House and executive branch officials seeking a reorganization
Officials pushing a department overhaul would face a funding roadblock unless Congress passes a different law or declines to enact this one.
Named offices across the department
The bill's findings identify 18 offices and institutes as part of the protected baseline, from Federal Student Aid to the Office of the Secretary.
Congress
H.R. 433 reflects Congress's view that agency structure, missions, leadership, and funding should be changed through legislation rather than unilateral executive action.
HR433 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Jan 15, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
About the Sponsor
Jahana Hayes
Democrat, Connecticut's 5th congressional district · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Agriculture, Education and Workforce
View full profile →
Cosponsors (132)
All 132 cosponsors are Democrats. Cosponsors represent 35 states: Alabama, Arizona, California, and 32 more.
Alma Adams
Democrat · NC
Dina Titus
Democrat · NV
LaMonica McIver
Democrat · NJ
Andrea Salinas
Democrat · OR
Jill Tokuda
Democrat · HI
Mike Quigley
Democrat · IL
Nydia Velázquez
Democrat · NY
Madeleine Dean
Democrat · PA
Nanette Barragán
Democrat · CA
Valerie Foushee
Democrat · NC
Nikema Williams
Democrat · GA
Rashida Tlaib
Democrat · MI
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Education and Workforce Committee
8 of 36 committee members cosponsored
8 Democrats across this committee haven't cosponsored yet. Mobilize their constituents
H.R. 433 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Education and Workforce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Education
- Introduced
- Jan 15, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Jan 15, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with status, text, actions, cosponsors, and related legislative information for H.R. 433.
Official Federal Student Aid site relevant to the bill’s findings because FSA is one of the named offices the bill aims to protect from restructuring.
Official Office for Civil Rights page relevant because OCR is specifically listed in the bill’s findings as part of the protected department structure.
Official site for the Institute of Education Sciences, one of the named department components identified in the bill’s findings.
Official page for OSERS, a named office in the bill’s findings that would be part of the January 1, 2025 baseline structure.
Official page for the Office of Postsecondary Education, one of the offices the bill identifies as part of the current department organization.
Official page for OESE, a named office in the bill’s findings and part of the Education Department structure the bill seeks to preserve.
H.R. 433 Common Questions
What does H.R. 433 actually do?
It blocks the Department of Education from using current-year funds to carry out a reorganization. That includes breaking up offices, cutting staff, or shifting major responsibilities.
Would H.R. 433 stop Education Department layoffs?
Yes, if those layoffs are part of a reorganization. The bill specifically says funded changes cannot reduce the department's staffing level compared with January 1, 2025.
Does this bill shut down plans to dismantle the Department of Education?
It would block current-year funding from being used to carry out that kind of overhaul. But it would not permanently settle the issue unless Congress keeps the restriction in place or passes broader law.
What counts as a reorganization under H.R. 433?
The bill uses a broad definition: decentralizing the department, reducing staff, or changing its responsibilities, structure, authority, or functionality.
Why does January 1, 2025 matter in H.R. 433?
That is the baseline date. The bill compares any later changes to how the Department of Education was organized and operating on January 1, 2025.
Would Federal Student Aid be protected by H.R. 433?
Yes. Federal Student Aid is one of the offices named in the bill's findings as part of the department's current structure the bill aims to preserve.
Does H.R. 433 affect the Office for Civil Rights?
Yes. The Office for Civil Rights is specifically listed in the bill's findings, so a funded reorganization affecting that office would be blocked under the bill.
Does H.R. 433 spend new money?
No. It does not create a new funding stream. It restricts how already-appropriated Education Department money can be used during the current fiscal year.
Based on H.R. 433 bill text
H.R. 433 Bill Text
“To prohibit funds made available to the Department of Education by previous Appropriations Acts from being used for any activity relating to implementing a reorganization of the Department, and for other purposes.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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