Last week, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee voted along party lines, 12-11, to advance several nominees for key leadership positions at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), the Department of Labor, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Among the ED nominees are Penny Schwinn, nominated for Deputy Secretary of Education, and Kimberly Richey, nominated for Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights. Schwinn, a former educator, has held senior education roles in Tennessee, Texas, and Delaware. Richey brings a legal background and has served in leadership positions within the state education departments of Oklahoma, Virginia, and Florida. She also previously served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights during the Trump Administration’s first term. The nominations now move to the full Senate for a final vote, with the date yet to be scheduled.