Federal Advocacy: Key Congressional Committees, Caucuses, and Agencies
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You’re ready to raise your voice on behalf of high-quality early childhood education and educators. Where should you begin? Start with the officials you elect—you are their constituents, and they value hearing from the people who live in their states and districts and who vote them into (or out of) office. But who else is responsible for advancing early childhood education at the federal level? Where are the decisions about policy, financing, and oversight made? Here are some key players you should know.
COMMITTEES
What Is a Committee?
A committee, in the context of the US Senate and the House of Representatives, is a subgroup of elected officials who take on specific tasks for a certain area of policy or governance. They, along with their subcommittees, consider bills and oversee agencies, programs, and activities in their specified area or jurisdiction. The Senate has 20 standing committees; the House has 21. Both chambers of Congress have additional joint and select committees. The chair of each committee and the majority of its members represent whichever party is the majority party in that chamber at the time. The minority party also has members assigned to the committee, and the leader of the minority side on the committee is called the Ranking Member. Each party assigns its members to committees, and each committee distributes its members among its subcommittees. Committees have staff, and advocates may meet with committee staff, in addition to meeting with the personal staff of their members of Congress. Leadership, members, and staff of the following committees should be considered priority members related to all early childhood advocacy efforts.
Key Senate Committees
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP)
- Relevant subcommittee: Children and Families
The Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee has jurisdiction over the country's health care, education, employment, and retirement policies. Committee members are responsible for legislation such as the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, now known as the Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA). The Subcommittee on Children and Families also oversees critical pieces of early childhood education, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), Head Start, the Higher Education Act, and other issues involving children, youth, and families.
- Relevant subcommittee: Social Security, Pensions, and Family Policy
The Senate Finance Committee is responsible for taxes and revenue; any legislation that has to do with taxes must come through this committee. The committee also oversees programs under the Social Security Act, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF), parts of which states use to finance child care.1
- Relevant subcommittee: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
The Senate Appropriations Committee—the largest committee in the US Senate—controls the discretionary spending for the federal government, writing legislation that decides annually how much funding will be spent where and on what, across different government agencies, departments, and organizations.
Key House Committees
- Relevant subcommittees: Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education; and Higher Education and Workforce Development
The House Education and the Workforce Committee, the counterpart to the Senate HELP Committee, has jurisdiction over education and workforce matters, including CCDBG and Head Start, as well as higher education.
- Relevant subcommittee: Human Resources
The House Committee on Ways and Means, which is the counterpart of the Senate Finance Committee, is responsible for raising the revenue required to finance the federal government, including control over taxes, and also has jurisdiction over programs authorized by the Social Security Act, including Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) (NOTE: In the Senate, the Finance Committee has jurisdiction over Medicaid; in the House, the committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid is actually the House Energy and Commerce Committee.)
- Relevant subcommittee: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies
The House Appropriations Committee, like the Senate Appropriations Committee, controls the discretionary spending for the federal government, allocating dollars across the different government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis.
CAUCUSES
What Is a Caucus?
A congressional caucus is a group of members committed to common themes or legislative objectives. Formally, caucuses are formed as congressional member organizations through the House of Representatives; in the Senate, they are informal. Congress also has coalitions, study groups, task forces, and working groups that can serve similar purposes. Here are some caucuses and groups who are, or may be, interested in advancing early childhood education and educators:
- Congressional Black Caucus
- Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues
- Congressional Community College Caucus
- Congressional Dads Caucus
- Congressional Hispanic Caucus (Democratic) and Congressional Hispanic Conference (Republican)
- Congressional Labor and Working Families Caucus
- Congressional Pre-K Caucus (bipartisan)
- Republican Main Street Partnership
FEDERAL AGENCIES
Key Federal Agencies
The scope of issues in early childhood education, which includes children birth through age 8, is primarily addressed in the US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Education (ED).
At HHS, the most relevant offices are within the Administration for Children and Families, including the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation and the Office for Early Childhood Development, which includes the Office of Child Care and the Office of Head Start.
At the Department of Education, the most relevant offices include the Office of Early Learning, the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, and the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), which oversees Part B and Part C of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
In addition, the Department of Labor can be an important partner, particularly when it comes to the early childhood workforce and apprenticeships.
At the White House, the Domestic Policy Council is the critical body that typically acts on the President’s agenda, offers advice, and coordinates the policy-making process. The Office of Management and Budget creates the President’s proposed budget each year. They are also responsible for evaluating existing programs, reviewing proposed regulations, and analyzing pending legislation, among other duties.