COPAA joined hundreds of organizations and thousands of individuals to urge Congress to protect all education programs from being transferred to other federal agencies by expanding language included in the pending Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (Labor-H) Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bill that already protects Title I and IDEA from any transfers. The letter to the Senate notes that recent actions to dismantle the U.S. Department of Education (ED) through announcements to transfer programs out of ED are both illegal and harmful, stating that other agencies have “no history or expertise in education…” Further, the letter details how the administration is “creating a fractured, chaotic, and inefficient system for implementing the laws Congress has passed” and notes the ways ED functions by federal statute including to provide steady, focused leadership, to help states and districts support student success…and to protect student civil rights.” Finally, advocates urge Senators to “enforce the statutory role Congress established to protect students…take steps to eliminate [the] illegal interagency agreements and ensure that decisions about federal educational responsibilities continue to be made lawfully, transparently, and in the best interest of America’s children.” Read more about COPAA’s efforts to protect IDEA and stop the dismantling of ED.