Below is RAMC’s weekly Washington Wrap Up from Thursday. Find out more about Wrap Up and other RAMC resources here.

November 21, 2024

CONGRESS

In addition to securing the Presidency and the U.S. Senate, the Republican Party also won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 119^th Congress.

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the current Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced that he will be the Chair of that Committee in the 119^th Congress.

The FAFSA Deadline Act, H.R. 8932, which seeks to establish a firm Oct. 1 deadline for the launch of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form starting in 2025, passed the House by a 380 to 1 vote.

This week, the Republican Party held leadership elections. Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as their new Majority Leader on Wednesday, succeeding Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the nomination for Speaker, but must be elected by a majority vote in the full House in early January to officially take the position for the 119^th  Congress. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) were also reelected to their roles for the upcoming Congress.

ADMINISTRATION
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued new guidance regarding the access, disclosure and use of personally identifiable information from the FAFSA by institutions of higher education, State grant agencies and their respective contractors. ED also shared an update that functionality for batch institutional corrections will be available for use for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA cycles by the end of the first quarter of calendar year 2025. Lastly, ED announced that an expanded beta testing period of the FAFSA would be open to all filers prior to December 1.

ED published an interim final rule that reopens the ability of student loan borrowers to enroll in Income Contingent Repayment and Pay-As-You-Earn student loan repayment plans through July 2027.

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education announced a joint agreement to increase awareness and access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for eligible college students.

The White House held a “Classroom to Career” Summit focused on boosting career pathways to well-paying jobs in fields such as infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

The U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce released a guide aimed at educating employers on the advantages of skills-first hiring practices.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a report discussing the harms faced by student borrowers as a result of servicing failures and disruptions in programs.

TRANSITION
President-elect Donald Trump continued announcing individuals for key positions requiring Senate confirmation, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]

Optimism, Concern Follow Trump’s Decision to Tap Former WWE Exec as Education Secretary [Inside Higher Ed]

Republicans Target Social Sciences to Curb Ideas They Don’t Like [The New York Times]

A Guaranteed Income Program for Community College Students [Inside Higher Ed]

University of Oklahoma faces conservative backlash over class [Higher Ed Dive]

Trump names Linda McMahon for education secretary [Higher Ed Dive]

Is the FAFSA Ready for Prime Time? [Inside Higher Ed]

Fall 2024 enrollment trends in 3 charts [Higher Ed Dive]

What the Republican trifecta could mean for student loan borrowers [The Washington Post]

The Campus in the Second Age of Trump [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Young Voters Favored Abortion Rights and President-Elect Trump, New Data Shows [The 74]

US international enrollment reached record highs. Will the trend last? [Higher Ed Dive]

Future-Prepping HBCU Students With Digital Learning [Inside Higher Ed]

Student protesters face potential Trump crackdown [The Hill]

As Trump Threatens Deportations, Campus Leaders Tread Carefully [Inside Higher Ed]

Trump vowed to push schools to the right on gender and race. Now he can. [The Washington Post]

House lawmakers pass bipartisan bill to mandate an Oct. 1 FAFSA release date [Higher Ed Dive]

Biden administration pushes through repayment plan rule [POLITICO]

FAFSA Will Launch Ahead of Schedule [Inside Higher Ed]

‘This is a good fit’: Inside enrollment gains at historically Black colleges [The Washington Post]

Massachusetts free community college program boosted adult enrollment, research finds [Higher Ed Dive]

The GOP is in charge of Congress. Here’s what it means for education policy. [POLITICO]

Financial Aid’s Foggy Future [Inside Higher Ed]

Some colleges have an answer for students questioning the value of higher ed: work-based learning [The Hechinger Report]

Republicans, Back in Charge of Congress, Aim to Increase Higher Ed Accountability [Inside Higher Ed]

A Texas University Tells Professors Their Teaching and Research Will be Under ‘Intense Scrutiny’ [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy on Senate Passage of His Legislation Requiring FAFSA to be Available on October 1, Now Heads to President’s Desk

Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy, Collins Seek Answers from BLS on Botched “Monthly Jobs Numbers”, Demand Accountability

Press Release: Cassidy to Chair HELP Committee in 119th Congress

Press Release: Ranking Member Cassidy on Trump Pick for HHS Secretary

Speaker of the House

Press Release: Speaker Johnson: The Reform Agenda Begins When Trump Takes Office

House Committee on Education and the Workforce:

Press Release: Chairwoman Foxx Applauds Administrator McMahon’s Nomination to Serve as Education Secretary

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott Statement on Nomination of Linda McMahon for Secretary of Education

Press Release: Foxx Blasts Education Department for Third Audit Failure

Press Release: House Advances Bipartisan Bill to Make FAFSA Available by October 1

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott Champions FAFSA Accessibility Measure

Press Release: Foxx Champions Bill to Fix Biden-Harris FAFSA Failures

Blog: What They Are Saying: FAFSA Deadline Act

Press Release: Foxx Reacts to Latest Biden-Harris Attack on Employer-Employee Relationship

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Statement from President Joe Biden on Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Anniversary

White House Press Release: Statement from President Joe Biden on Final CHIPS Award for TSMC

White House Press Release: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at a Dedication Ceremony at Delaware Technical Community College

White House Press Release: A Proclamation on National Apprenticeship Week, 2024

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: White House Hosts “Classroom to Career” Summit, Celebrates Successful Efforts to Expand High-Quality Career Pathways and Workforce Development Programs in Every Community

White House Press Release: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Transforms Nation’s Infrastructure, Celebrates Historic Progress in Rebuilding America for the Three-Year Anniversary of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Announces Final Beta Testing Period for the 2025–26 FAFSA Form

DOL Press Release: Cost of child care for one child can be more than rent in some US counties

IES Press Release: Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences

IES Press Release: The Effects of Expanding Pell Grant Eligibility for Short Occupational Training Programs: New Results on Employment and Earnings from the Experimental Sites Initiative

IES Press Release: New Data On Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools

IES Blog: Civics Education in Public Schools: Lessons and Activities Around the 2024 Election

IES Press Release: U.S. Results From the 2023 International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) Web Report

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.8932 — FAFSA Deadline Act

Sponsor: Houchin, Erin [Rep.-R-IN-9] (Introduced 07/05/2024) Cosponsors: (10)

Committees: House – Education and The Workforce

Latest Action: House – 11/12/2024 – Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1568 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 8932, H.R. 7409 and H.R. 8446. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 8932, H.R. 7409, and H.R. 8446 under a closed rule, and provides for one hour of…

H.R.10115 — Child Care for Small Businesses Act

Sponsor: Landsman, Greg [Rep.-D-OH-1] (Introduced 11/12/2024) Cosponsors: (0)

Committees: House – Small Business

Latest Action: House – 11/12/2024 Referred to the House Committee Small Business.

H.R.10122 — Developing America’s Workforce Act

Sponsor: Good, Bob [Rep.-R-VA-5] (Introduced 11/14/2024) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 11/14/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Press Release: Rep. Good Bill Seeks to Develop America’s Workforce

H.R.10164 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to provide for a teacher leader development program, and for other purposes.

Sponsor: Schneider, Bradley Scott [Rep.-D-IL-10] (Introduced 11/18/2024) Cosponsors: (4)

Committees: House – Education and the Workforce

Latest Action: House – 11/18/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

ED Comment Request: Federal Family Educational Loan Program-Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA). Comments due on or before November 27, 2024.

ED Comment Request: District Survey on Use of Funds Under Title II, Part A. Comments due on or before November 29, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Student Aid Internet Gateway (SAIG) Enrollment Document. Comments due on or before November 29, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Interest Rate Limitation Request. Comments due on or before November 29, 2024.

ED Comment Request: 2020/25 Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS:20/25) Full-Scale Study. Comments due on or before December 5, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Income Based Repayment-Notifications. Comments due on or before December 6, 2024.

Children and Families Administration Comment Request: Financing for Early Care and Education: Quality and Access for All-Case Studies. Comments due on or before December 9, 2024.

Department of Commerce Comment Request: Existing Awards and Recognition Programs for Standards Development and Best Practices for Standards Workforce Development in Support of the Implementation of the United States Government National Standards Strategy for Critical and Emerging Technology (USG NSSCET). Comments due on or before December 9, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Student Assistance General Provisions-Readmission for Servicemembers. Comments due on or before December 9, 2024.

DOL Comment Request: Sectoral Strategies and Employer Engagement Portfolio. Comments are due on or before December 10, 2024.

ED Grant Notice: Personnel Development To Improve Services and Results for Children With Disabilities-Personnel Preparation of Special Education, Early Intervention, and Related Services Personnel at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Other Minority Serving Institutions. Applications due on or before December 12, 2024.

ED Rule: Income Contingent Repayment Plan Options. Comments are due on or before December 16, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Study of the Impact of English Learner Reclassification Policies. Comments are due on or before December 16, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Mandatory Civil Rights Data Collection. Comments due on or before December 16, 2024.

HHS Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund Plan for Tribes for Fiscal Year 2026-2028. Comments due on or before December 19, 2024.

ED Comment Request: Comment Request; National Evaluation of the Pathways to Partnerships Program. Comments due on or before December 30, 2024.

HHS Grant Forecast: Tribal Colleges and Universities Head Start Partnership Program Grants. Estimated due date is on or before January 6, 2025.

HHS Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Annual Aggregate Report. Comments due on or before January 6, 2025.

HHS Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Quarterly Case-Level Report. Comments due on or before January 6, 2025.

ED Comment Request: Eligibility of Students at Institutions of Higher Education for Funds Under the CARES Act. Comments are due on or before January 14, 2025.

DOL Comment Request: Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grant Program Round 4 (SCC4) Evaluation, New Collection. Comments due on or before January 21, 2024.

ED Grant Notice: Research Training Programs in the Education Sciences. Applications due on or before March 7, 2025.

Department of Commerce Notice: National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Meeting

HHS Correction: Improving Child Care Access, Affordability, and Stability in the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF)

ED Notice: Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship Program

NSF Notice: National Science Foundation’s Evaluation of the Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program.

HHS Notice: Lists of Designated Primary Medical Care, Mental Health, and Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas

EPA Notice: Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions Advisory Council

ED Notice: Accrediting Agencies Currently Undergoing Review for the Purpose of Recognition by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

USDA Notice: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP): Employment and Training Program Monitoring, Oversight and Reporting Measures

HHS Notice: Increase Flexibility for Tribes in Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Eligibility

ED Notice: Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (Partnership Grants)

ED Notice: Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (State Grants)

ED Notice: President’s Advisory Commission on Advancing Educational Equity, Excellence, and Economic Opportunity for Hispanics