Post-Election Analysis 2020: Education & Workforce

Key Takeaways

• The priorities of the Democratic-controlled House in the 116th Congress provide a blueprint for the policies and priorities likely to gain traction with a new Biden Administration. Top congressional priorities will include additional COVID-19 relief across the education spectrum, yet the pandemic and a split Congress may slow movement on long-awaited legislation, such as the Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization, or force Congress to take a piecemeal approach.
• The Biden Administration and congressional Democrats will prioritize workforce and labor issues, including workforce training, worker classification, unionization, and collective bargaining. The robust agenda will primarily advance through the executive branch, as Senate Republicans will consider the Democratic agenda a non-starter, with a few exceptions such as workforce training.