GOP accelerates plan to shrink the Education Department amid a Capitol Hill funding and confirmation blitz

Republicans push a 10-bill package to permanently move Education Department programs to other federal agencies, effectively downsizing the department, while Capitol Hill buzzes with confirmation hearings (notably Todd Blanche’s bid to be attorney general amid Epstein-file scrutiny) and a sprint to finalize a $95 billion reconciliation package covering defense, farm aid, and other items, along with ongoing debates on Israel aid, vaccine policy, and crypto regulation.