In a July 14 letter, former senior special education officials who served under every presidential Administration from Richard Nixon through Joe Biden urged congressional appropriators to preserve the Department of Education's statutory authority to administer and oversee the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and reject proposals by the current Administration to transfer IDEA responsibilities to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The bipartisan group argued that strong federal oversight by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is essential to ensuring consistent and equitable implementation of IDEA nationwide. They also called on Congress to reject the Administration's Fiscal Year 2027 proposal to convert IDEA Part B Preschool (Section 619) and Part D National Activities funding into state block grants, contending that IDEA's dedicated funding structure has been critical to protecting the rights of the nation's students with disabilities. The former officials warned that the proposal would weaken national infrastructure and consistency at a time when 37 states have been formally identified as Needing Assistance to meet IDEA requirements.