
Disaster relief done — what next?
WELL, LOOK AT THAT: It wasn't exactly a unicorn, but something relatively uncommon happened last week — Congress enacted a narrow, uncontroversial tax provision.
With good reason, too: The Senate cleared a bipartisan measure, H.R. 517 (119), by unanimous consent Thursday that would offer quicker relief from tax filing deadlines for those affected by natural disasters, in large part in response to the deadly flooding in Texas.
In essence, the measure empowers the IRS to offer filing relief to taxpayers in areas where a state has declared an emergency. Until now, the agency could delay filing deadlines only for disasters declared by the federal government, which can take longer to materialize.
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), one of the measure's sponsors, noted that only one county in Texas had received a federal declaration as of Thursday, while a state emergency had been proclaimed in more than 20 counties.
The House had passed the measure unanimously in March, so the Senate's action last week sends it to President Donald Trump's desk.
'This bill will allow those impacted by a natural disaster to have certainty that tax filing deadlines will be extended earlier in the process, and sometimes before the disaster occurs, so they can focus on their safety,' said Mark Koziel, the president of the American Institute of CPAs.
MORE ON THAT in a second, but first — welcome to a special Bastille Day version of Weekly Tax.
Not with a bang, but with a…: Today marks 160 years since an English mountaineer named Edward Whymper led the first successful ascent of the Matterhorn, the Alps peak along the border of Italy and Switzerland. (The descent, meanwhile, was far less successful.)
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LOOKING AHEAD: Outside events clearly prompted the quick congressional action on the natural disaster filing bill.
But it's worth noting that's far from the only measure of its kind that lawmakers have looked at this year.
In fact, Senate Finance Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat on the tax-writing panel, released draft legislation early this year that would make broad reforms in tax administration.
Across the way, the House Ways and Means Committee has cleared a string of other proposals aimed at making life easier for taxpayers.
All of that prompted some speculation that the two parties might be able to work together on sweeping tax administration legislation this year or next.
We'll see about that. This Congress might only be about a quarter over, but it's unclear whether the bruised feelings over the GOP megabill will subside enough for any real bipartisan tax action in the coming months.
Some key Republicans have talked up areas for potential cooperation on taxes. But there's also some chatter within the GOP about doing another partisan budget reconciliation measure — or maybe two — while they have full control, which likely wouldn't help the chances for a bipartisan tax package.
NOT SO FAST! A nonprofit group is trying to stop a proposed settlement that would give churches an official OK to wade into political activity.
Americans United for Separation of Church and State announced Friday that it had asked a federal court to allow it to defend what's known as the Johnson Amendment, which bars certain tax-exempt groups from endorsing candidates and other types of politicking.
The group is seeking to intervene after the IRS and religious groups challenging the Johnson Amendment reached a settlement, as part of which the agency said that the decadeslong ban on weighing in on political campaigns didn't apply to churches.
Essentially, the IRS also noted that it was just coming clean on a longstanding unwritten rule — that it had rarely enforced the Johnson Amendment when it came to religious groups.
In many ways, that's more broadly true of how the agency has handled the ban on political activity for nonprofits. But AU, the separation of church and state group, argued that the Johnson Amendment 'protects the integrity of both our elections and nonprofit organizations, including houses of worship.'
'The Trump administration's radical reinterpretation of the Johnson Amendment is a flagrant, self-serving attack on church-state separation that threatens our democracy by favoring houses of worship over other nonprofits and inserting them into partisan politics,' added the group's president, Rachel Laser.
Advocates for nonprofits have long worked to preserve the Johnson Amendment, making it a top lobbying priority for both the 2017 Trump tax cuts and the most recent megabill.
Those groups argue that allowing churches and other nonprofits more leeway to be political will erode the nonpartisan mission of most organizations and how they're viewed by the public at-large.
DOWN GOES THE DST: Brussels has prepared to ditch plans for a digital tax to help ease trade negotiations with the U.S., as our Gregorio Sorgi noted Friday.
At least that was the plan: The European Commission's list of upcoming taxes isn't scheduled to be released until Wednesday, and the report about Brussels dropping its DST came before Trump threatened to bump up tariffs on the EU to 30 percent.
In return, European leaders threatened their own 'proportionate countermeasures,' leaving the path forward decidedly unclear.
But taking a step back: The EU's willingness to scrap its digital tax would be just the latest example of the U.S. getting its way without having to rely on Section 899, the so-called revenge tax that was dropped from the GOP megabill over concerns that it would impede foreign investment. (Worth noting: Brussels is also considering a broader tax on big companies that would also hit tech titans affected by a DST.)
Canada discarded its digital tax a couple weeks ago, just hours before payments were due, as part of its trade negotiations with the U.S.
And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's agreement with the G7 to stop parts of the global tax deal from applying to the U.S. — most notably an undertaxed profits rule that allowed other countries to tax American companies that didn't meet minimum tax thresholds — paved the way for Republicans to drop Section 899 from the megabill.
Next question, though: What's the broader impact of that G7 agreement on a global tax pact where around 140 countries signed on to the framework?
Top officials at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which led negotiations on the agreement, have argued that the side deal strengthens the overall pact.
But Mindy Herzfeld of Tax Notes isn't so sure, arguing that other countries might now seek their own carve-outs from the global tax deal, even if none of them has the same clout as the U.S.
'It remains uncertain whether the exceptionalism of the United States will hold at a time when its broader withdrawal from multilateral commitments has weakened the dollar and confidence in its systems,' Herzfeld wrote.
Around the World
Bloomberg: 'UK Wealth Tax Given 'Zero Chance' Amid Cash Crunch for Reeves.'
Reuters: 'German upper house of parliament approves $54 billion corporate tax relief package.'
Reuters, again: 'Ferrari Chair John Elkann settles inheritance tax dispute in Italy.'
Around the Nation
WEWS: 'Ohio GOP plans to override Gov. DeWine school vetoes in order to provide property tax relief.'
KTOO: 'Bill requiring car rental apps to collect Alaska taxes avoids second veto.'
Washington State Standard: 'Megabill's elimination of tax credits for clean energy projects could cost WA $8.7 billion.'
Also Worth Your Time
Wall Street Journal: 'Investors Get New Breaks on Capital-Gains Taxes in Trump Law.'
Bloomberg: 'Trump Tax Law Quietly Takes Aim at Popular Perk: Office Snacks.'
Tax Notes: 'Oversight of IRS AI and Data Analytics Faces Setback.'
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Mountains in California, Colorado and Nevada have all been named after the Matterhorn.
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The Hill
6 minutes ago
- The Hill
Sunday shows preview: Trump remains embroiled in Epstein drama as tariff deadline looms
The Trump administration and Cabinet members remain entangled in a saga entrenched in controversy over files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which is likely to be a focus of this week's Sunday shows. Members of Congress and the public are continuing to call on leaders to release the names of past clients, associates and businessmen linked to Epstein's dealings, urging President Trump to make good on his campaign promise to provide transparency on the deceased criminal's actions. Their push for more information follows a July joint memo from the FBI and Justice Department (DOJ) that confirmed Epstein kept no 'client list' and said no further files tied to the late financier would be released by the federal government. Epstein's longtime partner, Ghislaine Maxwell, agreed to speak with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche this week about the international sex trafficking ring run by the two. 'This was a thorough, comprehensive interview by the Deputy Attorney General. No person and no topic were off-limits. We are very grateful. The truth will come out,' Maxwell's attorney David Oscar Markus said in a statement to NewsNation, the sister network of The Hill. Maxwell was granted limited immunity amid her push to appeal her conviction before the Supreme Court. DOJ officials have opposed the effort but continue to applaud her cooperation while the president has not completely ruled out the possibility of pardoning Epstein's accomplice, who's now serving a 20-year sentence behind bars. Lawmakers disgruntled by the lengthy delay to unveil new evidence voted Tuesday to subpoena Maxwell to testify before the House Oversight Committee. A House Oversight subpanel on Wednesday approved several subpoenas including one directing the DOJ to turn over materials relating to the Epstein files. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Rep. Riley Moore ( will likely discuss the huddle amongst their GOP colleagues this week on Sunday shows, addressing their party's strategy to investigate Epstein's criminal dealings without stepping on the Trump administration's toes. McCaul is set to appear on CBS's 'Face the Nation' and Moore is slated to appear on CNN's 'State of the Union.' Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) is set to address the Democratic push to force transparency on the president's ties to Epstein's illegal actions on his Sunday appearance on ABC's 'This Week.' Amidst the legislative drama, the White House is courting foreign nations to coax mutually beneficial trade deals between the U.S. and its international partners. Officials sent out the first batch of letters earlier this month to other nations informing them of new tariff rates, but those tariffs won't go into effect until Aug. 1, White House officials said. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.), who sits on the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Committee, may address the impact set to strike the country's business through the onset of levies during Sunday appearances on Fox News's 'Fox News Sunday' and NBC's 'Meet the Press.' This week, markets surged as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell waved off criticism from the president on Thursday and corrected his projected costs for projects undertaken by the entity. The S&P 500 finished 0.4 percent up, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average finished up 208 points or 0.47 percent. Many await further direction from the Fed Chair on inflation as more permanent tariffs take effect and Americans begin to feel the jolt from its repercussions. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) of the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Development could address how different business ventures may thrive or decline due to newer trade policies. All this and more will be discussed on this week's Sunday shows. Please see the full list of appearances below: NewsNation's 'The Hill Sunday:' Former Amb. John Bolton, Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.) and Former Gov. Chris Sununu (R-N.H.) ABC's 'This Week:' Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.); Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) CNN's 'State of the Union:' Sens. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) and Mark Warner, (D-Va.); Rep. Riley Moore ( CBS' 'Face the Nation:' Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.); Rep. Michael McCaul, (R-Texas); International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General Rafael Mariano Grossi; former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb NBC's 'Meet the Press:' Sens. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.); Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for New York mayor


Newsweek
7 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Democratic Party Hits Lowest Approval in Over 30 Years: Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A Wall Street Journal poll published on Friday shows the Democratic Party's image has deteriorated to its lowest point in over three decades according to the newspaper's records that date back to 1990. Only 8 percent of registered voters said they view the Democratic Party "very favorably," while 63 percent said it's out of touch with the everyday concerns of Americans. In contrast, Republicans are now trusted more on key issues like the economy, immigration and crime. The poll, which surveyed 1,500 registered voters between July 16-20, found Republicans have taken the lead on eight of 10 issues tested. Despite President Donald Trump's continued unpopularity in the polls, the GOP leads in overall party identification. The Journal's poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. Why It Matters In last year's presidential election, Trump beat then-Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, by 2 points in the popular vote, 50 to 48 percent. Trump also won the electoral vote, which decides the winner, 312-226. The Democratic Party faced a string of defeats in the 2024 election cycle when it came to the U.S. House and Senate, with the party's struggles for a clear message and effective leadership intensifying as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The new poll signals a significant warning for Democrats. Although Trump remains a polarizing figure, the data suggests that voters are increasingly viewing the party as ineffective on core issues like inflation, border security, and crime. What To Know According to the Journal's poll, Democrats now face a net favorability of -30 points, with only one-third of voters expressing any positive sentiment toward the party. This marks the worst performance for Democrats in the newspaper's polling history to date. While Trump's handling of inflation and tariffs drew significant disapproval—11 and 17 points respectively—voters still trust Republicans more than Democrats to manage those issues in Congress. The GOP holds a 10-point advantage on inflation and a 7-point edge on tariffs. The only policy areas where Democrats outperform Republicans in the poll are health care and vaccine policy, suggesting the party retains some credibility on public health issues. The president's net unfavorability stands at -7 points, with the GOP slightly worse at -11. However, Trump's favorability has remained relatively steady through the first six months of his second term, even as other polls show sharper declines. Despite the negative sentiment, 46 percent of voters say they would back a Democrat for Congress if an election were held today, compared to 43 percent who would support a Republican. That margin is narrower than the 8-point advantage Democrats had at the same point in Trump's first term in 2017. Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as Senate Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, listen during a news briefing at... Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, speaks as Senate Minority Whip Sen. Richard Durbin, an Illinois Democrat, and Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, listen during a news briefing at the U.S. Capitol on July 22 in Washington, D.C. MoreWhat People Are Saying Bill McInturff, a Republican pollster not connected to the Journal's survey, said: "We were already watching the tide moving out for the Republican Party by this point in 2017, and that's not where we are today. And that's worth jumping up and down and trying to explain: how much more competitive Trump and the Republicans are today than in 2017." John Anzalone, a Democratic pollster who worked on the Journal survey, said: "The Democratic brand is so bad that they don't have the credibility to be a critic of Trump or the Republican Party. Until they reconnect with real voters and working people on who they're for and what their economic message is, they're going to have problems." What Happens Next? Democrats face mounting pressure to redefine their economic message and rebuild trust with working-class voters. Meanwhile, Republicans are likely to double down on their perceived strengths in fiscal and foreign policy ahead of next year's midterms.


USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Trump is seeking to reshape higher education. Meet the man he wants leading the charge.
Trump's pick as under secretary at the Department of Education has deep ties to an industry often in the agency's crosshairs: for-profit colleges. As President Donald Trump works to reshape America's colleges and universities, the man he wants overseeing higher education has deep ties to an industry often in the Department of Education's crosshairs: for-profit colleges. That person, Nicholas Kent, worked with the preeminent lobbying group for for-profit colleges and was a high-level executive for another that reached a $13 million settlement over claims it had defrauded the federal government's student aid program. As under secretary, Kent would oversee the office in charge of billions in federal student aid and that ensures America's colleges provide a quality education. Kent's nomination comes as the administration has sought to shut down much of the Department of Education while using it and other federal education policies to dramatically upend the higher education system. The administration has specifically investigated and frozen billions in funding to multiple Ivy League institutions like Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania. The administration and Columbia University just agreed to a $200 million fine to settle accusations that the New York institution had discriminated against its Jewish community following months of pressure and hundreds of millions in halted federal funding. The settlement is supposed to restore that money. But the shakeup of higher education extends beyond the Ivy League schools as the Trump administration has frozen billions in research funding, throttled the flow of international students, and launched dozens of investigations into private and public colleges. For-profits schools, though, have largely been spared and Trump has suggested redirecting billions from Ivy League universities to trade schools. The Department of Education declined to make Kent available for an interview, but Education Secretary Linda McMahon praised him as a 'natural leader' whose experience and concern for students 'make him the ideal selection for under secretary of education.' 'Nicholas' technical expertise and vast experience in higher education, especially his work on accreditation and accountability reforms, will be a great benefit to current and aspiring postsecondary students, faculty, and staff,' she said in a statement to USA TODAY. While awaiting Senate approval, Kent is working on other policies for the Department of Education, including the administration's school choice initiatives at the K-12 level. Backers of the administration's pick say Kent would bring a deep knowledge of higher education policy and fairness to the role. And while higher education advocacy groups have pushed back on the department's attacks on colleges, they have embraced Kent. The American Council on Education, the largest trade group of colleges, endorsed him in a March letter to the Senate's education committee. Other supporters include trade groups for community colleges, private universities and veteran organizations. But critics want to know more about his ties to Education Affiliates, the for-profit college company that paid millions to settle claims of fraud without a determination of liability. They also question his time at Career Education Colleges and Universities, the for-profit trade group that pushed rolling back federal regulations directed at proprietary universities, as for-profit schools are often called. Others questioned what he accomplished while working in Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration as deputy secretary of education in Virginia. Those worried about his nomination say Kent could have addressed their concerns, but the Senate committee advanced his nomination and six others without a hearing in a 12-11 vote. The previous under secretary, James Kvaal, received a committee hearing before the Senate confirmed him, though none of the nine preceding under secretaries did. "With decades of experience in higher education, Mr. Kent will bring proven expertise and leadership to the Department of Education," said Stephen Lewerenz, the education committee's Republican spokesperson. "We look forward to his nomination moving through the full Senate." U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, the ranking member of the committee voted against Kent's nomination saying, "we should not be confirming a former lobbyist who represented for-profit colleges to oversee higher education." The final vote on Kent is not yet scheduled, and Republicans hold a majority, making his confirmation likely. Company paid $13 million to settle 'numerous allegations of predatory conduct' Kent earned his undergraduate degree in 2005 at West Virginia Wesleyan College, a private school with ties to the United Methodist Church. He launched his higher education career early by taking college courses while in high school, according to details shared about his high school and college life by Education Department spokesperson Madison Biedermann. He also was a first-generation student who received a Pell Grant, an award geared toward low-income students. After graduating, he spent two years working for the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, according to his LinkedIn page listing his work history. It's a smaller player in the accreditation space that approves many for-profit schools that offer bachelor's degrees and shorter programs for jobs like a licensed practical nurse, massage therapist or dental hygienist. In 2008, he joined Education Affiliates, and in 2009 he started a master's program at George Washington University with a concentration in higher education administration. By this time, Dorothy Thomas had been at Education Affiliates for years and was on the road to blowing the whistle on the gaming of student aid she would see. Thomas, who is speaking for the first time about her experience to USA TODAY, was one of the company's original hires in 2005. Back then, the Maryland-based company owned 10 for-profit trade schools. The company didn't stay small long. Thomas was on the road often, zig-zagging from Florida, Maryland, Alabama, Pennsylvania and other states trying to ensure the schools complied with the government's complicated guidelines to receive student aid. As the company grew, she said she noticed college staff overstated how long students stayed in their classes, even beyond their graduation, and instead pocketed the federal funding. In 2013, she filed a lawsuit against the company in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee against Education Affiliates and its parent company. By then, it had 53 campuses and more than 60,000 students. The suit alleged, among other things, that the company had deliberately gamed the federal student aid system. Her whistleblower suit mentioned a case involving a campus in Essington, Pennsylvania where Thomas found 30 cases in an audit of 266 students that would require the for-profit company to return federal funds to the government. Of those 30, 11 had already graduated and 16 had dropped out, but the company still marked them as active students and received federal aid. (The remaining three were ineligible for different reasons.) She learned that staff were directing students to acquire fraudulent high school diplomas from the internet to fake their eligibility to take college classes and receive financial aid. Thomas brought these concerns and others to her superiors, including the then-CEO, but she was met with 'near universal hostility,' according to her lawsuit. The suit went on to say executives 'attempted at all costs to minimize the results thereof by blatantly changing the results, doctoring actual documents in student files, or simply refusing to return and refund funding to the Department of Education.' Thomas said she was fired in 2012 after the company had learned she had brought her complaints to the Education Department. But it wasn't just Thomas who raised concerns. Her whistleblower suit would join four others against the company covering a span from 2005 to 2013. The resulting investigation included five different state attorneys general offices across the U.S., the Education Department and the FBI. The plaintiffs were mostly former employees, but some included students who said they were fraudulently enrolled. Though the specifics of the complaints varied, most painted the company as focused on growth rather than student success. Several of the suits specifically alleged the company's leadership knew that staff directed students to obtain phony diplomas or enrolled people who were academically ineligible. Thomas' suit, for example, referenced a PowerPoint from leadership that directed campuses to shred student attendance records. At the same time, Kent was rising in the ranks at Education Affiliates. He started as an accreditation specialist but over seven years had risen to vice president of legislative and regulatory affairs, a position he held for roughly three years. Thomas did not work with Kent directly. Still, she was flabbergasted to see the administration considering someone from Education Affiliates' leadership for a high-ranking government position given he worked for the company during a time it was accused of directing students to fake diplomas and gaming financial aid. 'Am I happy to see him as the under secretary nominee? No, no,' she said. In 2015, Rod J. Rosenstein, then-U.S Attorney for Maryland who would go on to be deputy attorney general for the first Trump administration, announced the $13 million settlement. Ted Mitchell, then under secretary of the Education Department, said at the time the settled cases included 'numerous allegations of predatory conduct that victimized students and bilked taxpayers.' Years later, Mitchell as president of the American Council on Education signed a letter endorsing Kent. He declined to answer questions about the 2015 statement. But another senior leader of the group, Jon Fansmith said, 'The ACE letter of support is a sincere recommendation based on Ted's and ACE's experience over a number of years of working with Mr. Kent in a variety of professional roles.' Kent's time with the for-profit group is listed on his LinkedIn page, but it was not included in the Education Department's announcement about his nomination. Ben DeGweck, general counsel for Education Affiliates, confirmed that Kent had been a vice president with the company and that he was 'never involved in any part of the allegations, nor the internal or external discussions related to the settlement, which is now more than a decade old matter.' 'His focus while at Education Affiliates was on external regulatory and legislative matters related to higher education,' DeGweck said in a statement to USA TODAY. The company also supports his nomination, saying it is 'confident he will bring an ethical and fair approach to all institutions of higher education, regardless of sector.' The Education Department declined to answer USA TODAY's questions about Kent's time at Education Affiliates. Instead, in a statement shared by Bindermann the agency said Kent's 20-plus years of experience in the higher education space gave him a 'well-rounded and pragmatic understanding of the education landscape.' Thomas was skeptical of the company's statement based on her experience working at the company and given Kent was part of the corporate team. And Christopher Madaio, a former chief of an investigative unit within Education Department, said in his experience investigating for-profit colleges, pressure to grow profits often comes from those in leadership. Madaio is now a senior adviser for the Institute of College Access and Success, a group which sent a letter to the Senate education committee alongside teachers' unions and others pushing for a public hearing on Kent's nomination. He said the company's response is appreciated, but he said he believes "there is value to putting people who seek this type of important position under oath and asking them questions about their experience, prior employers, and principles.' A defender of for-profit colleges Kent spent less than a year working at Washington, D.C.'s public school system before starting consulting work through the Dulles Advisory Group. In a public filing, Kent wrote that he was the 'sole managing director' and it was 'used only as a pass-through entity for funds received for consulting income.' He added the company had been dormant since 2017. That was when Kent started working for Career Education Colleges and Universities. The group's CEO, Jason Altmire, said he understood Kent wasn't involved in the Education Affiliates settlement and that the company had admitted no wrongdoing. He added that Kent's 'impeccable character' meant he was not worried about his past employment. At that for-profit trade group, Kent earned a reputation as an avid critic of regulation of for-profit schools, especially toward Biden administration policies. He often spoke against the 90/10 rule, a regulation that requires for-profit colleges receive at least 10% of their income from sources other than the federal government. Previously, funding from the Department of Veterans Affairs, which includes the G.I. Bill, had counted toward the 10% side. Veteran advocacy groups argued that loophole gave for-profit colleges an incentive to aggressively recruit students paying with the G.I. Bill as a counterbalance to students paying only with federal financial aid. In 2021, Congress voted to include all forms of federal funding on the 90% side of the rule, not just money from the Education Department as part of a pandemic relief package. CECU, and sometimes Kent directly, had initially argued against that effort, saying the move would limit veterans' access to higher education. Still, representatives for the for-profit sector participated in the federal rulemaking process and CECU abstained from filing a challenge against the final rule. Altmire praised the Trump administration's recent tweak to the rule allowing universities to count some unaccredited programs toward the non-federal funding side. He said the rule does a poor job of measuring quality, but that the group appreciated 'the Department's efforts to at least apply it in a more evenhanded way for as long as it remains in statute.' He told USA TODAY Kent was what the Education Department needed during a transitional time in higher education. He added that Kent had deep policy knowledge and 'is not driven by partisanship and brings a fair and unbiased perspective to the role.' Unlike McMahon, who is newer to the often byzantine world of higher education policy, Kent knows his way around. That is the assessment of Kevin Kinser, a Pennsylvania State University professor, who has long studied the for-profit sector and college accreditation. He said Kent likely understands the 'ways that the higher education universe is dependent on the federal government for its viability,' and how the administration could use that reliance to bend universities to its will. As for what Kent might do? Kinser said he might expect a drive for policies that would have colleges prioritize preparing students for the workforce. That stance would be in contrast to a traditional view of higher education that holds a degree is about helping people be engaged members of society in addition to getting a job. Kinser also said Kent's time working with an accreditor is likely to be useful as Trump on the campaign trail had declared college accreditation his 'secret weapon' to take back universities from the 'radical left.' The administration has already pressured Columbia's and Harvard's accreditors to take action against the universities in response to its findings that they violated the rights of Jewish students. Trump also has signed an executive order that aims to make it easier for universities to switch accreditors and would ramp up efforts to recognize new ones. Kent has also won the support of some veterans groups focused on higher education and some trade groups, including the American Association of Community Colleges, which praised his knowledge of the department's policy making process. Others, such as Ohio University emeritus professor Richard Vedder, are unconcerned about Kent's ties to the for-profit industry. Vedder has studied for-profits and is the author of 'Let Colleges Fail: The Power of Creative Destruction in Higher Education.' Though he would not call himself an advocate for proprietary schools, he said the federal government and some Democratic members of Congress have long been unfairly critical of the for-profit industry. But Vedder said that every sector of higher education has 'bad apples.' And he added that all types of higher ed are subject to some Education Department regulations. Why should working at a for-profit disqualify someone from a top government post, he asked. It was important, he said, to have people who are familiar with higher education in that role. Vedder thought someone like Kent might push to reconfigure the 90/10 rule. He also questioned if he would push for more limits on federal student lending or even advocate to get the government out of that market altogether. Holding higher ed accountable or MAGA agenda to disrupt? In September 2023, Kent hung up his policy hat and moved into the public sector as a member of Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin's administration. A Republican, Youngkin on his first day in office signed an executive order to end the use of "inherently divisive concepts, including critical race theory," in K-12 public schools. In 2024, his administration reviewed the curriculum for courses about race and diversity at George Mason University and Virginia Commonwealth University. The universities subsequently dropped the courses. Youngkin's administration also made headlines that year for signing a Democratic-sponsored bill ending the use of legacy admissions at Virginia's public schools. That cause is often associated with higher education access advocates who say the practice favors wealthy students. Kent's departing message to the Commonwealth focused on other accomplishments. The two paragraph email, which was obtained by USA TODAY, touted 'reducing costs' while advocating for free speech and accountability at Virginia's colleges. He added he was 'especially proud' of providing 'data to make more informed decisions.' That appears to be a reference to the 'Virginia higher education planning guide and college outcomes,' a tool with data like college graduation rates and student demographics. Much of that data was already available via the state organization that oversees higher education institutions in the state. It's unclear what Kent's legacy in Virginia will be long term. Of the lawmakers who responded to USA TODAY's media inquiries, a Republican and two Democrats told USA TODAY they didn't have much or any experience working with Kent directly in his roughly year and a half within the governor's office. But the chair of the Virginia Senate's education committee, Democrat Ghazala Hashmi, said Kent's nomination raised 'significant concerns.' Hashmi, who is also the Democratic nominee for Virginia's lieutenant governor, pointed to his work with CECU to limit regulations for for-profit colleges and said in Virginia he had 'hoped to destabilize accreditation policies for colleges and universities,' but she did 'not allow his efforts to go far.' 'Kent's stance aligns with a broader MAGA agenda to dismantle consumer protections and accountability measures and to undermine the quality of higher education,' Hashmi said. In contrast, a trade group of private universities in Virginia said he was vital to 'expanding and strengthening student aid programs.' Youngkin praised Kent's work, saying in a statement shared by the Education Department that he 'strengthened the management of our higher education institutions, increasing transparency to hold them accountable to parents and students.' The governor's office did not respond to USA TODAY's request for comment about Kent's accomplishments in the state. Regardless of his future, Kent is already notable for signing up for a top job at an agency the president doesn't want to exist. Chris Quintana is an investigative reporter at USA TODAY. He can be reached at cquintana@ or via Signal at 202-308-9021. He is on X at @CQuintanaDC