Education and the American Family

The Subcommittee on Education and the American Family is a specialized division of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Like all subcommittees, it conducts initial hearings and reviews legislation before the full committee decides whether to advance bills to the Senate floor. This subcommittee focuses on a narrower slice of education and family policy than its parent committee.

The subcommittee has jurisdiction over Head Start, child care and child support programs including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, the Family Medical Leave Act, National Service programs, women and children's healthcare, and other issues involving children, youth, and families. This specialized focus allows the subcommittee to dive deeper into policies affecting families and young people than the broader HELP Committee can manage.

Chair Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) and Ranking Member Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) lead the 15-member subcommittee. Recent hearings have examined education choice and literacy, with a July 2025 hearing titled "Empowering Families for Better Educational Results" and a December 2025 hearing on "Building Pathways: Advancing Workforce Development in the 21st Century." The subcommittee also held a hearing on workforce development in the modern era, reflecting its focus on preparing young people for employment.