Editor’s note: This weekly update from the government relations office at the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) provides the latest on what’s happening in Washington and how AACC is advancing policies to support community colleges and students. Send questions, feedback and more to: kgimborys@aacc.nche.edu.
- FY 25 Appropriations bill clears subcommittee markup, contains cuts for key Education and Labor programs
- Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act reintroduced
FY 25 Appropriations bill clears subcommittee markup, contains cuts for key Education and Labor programs
On Thursday morning, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS-ED) Appropriations Subcommittee held a markup for the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 25) LHHS-ED funding bill. No amendments were offered, and the bill was approved by a voice vote. Next, the bill will be considered by the full Appropriations Committee on July 10 before likely advancing to the House floor.
As the American Association of Community Colleges’ (AACC) Jim Hermes details in the Community College Daily, the bill makes deep funding cuts to the Departments of Education (ED) and Labor (DOL). Of particular note for community colleges, the bill eliminates funding for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program and Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) youth funding, with significant cuts to campus-based aid programs, WIOA adult education funding, and DOL apprenticeship programs. The bill maintains funding for the Strengthening Community College Training Grant (SCCTG) program, TRIO and GEAR UP, and WIOA dislocated worker programs. The Pell Grant maximum award would also be flat-funded at $7,395 – effectively a cut because it does not account for inflation.
Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act reintroduced
Last week, U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Patty Murray (D-Washington), Jack Reed (D-Rhode Island), and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) and Representatives Mark Pocan (D-Wisconsin) and Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) reintroduced the Pell Grant Preservation and Expansion Act. The bill would restore the purchasing power of the Pell Grant by doubling the maximum award to $14,000 over five years. The bill would further protect the impact of the grant by indexing the maximum grant to inflation and would protect the long-term viability of the program by making Pell Grant funding fully mandatory. The comprehensive bill would also deliver key eligibility changes critical for community college students, including allowing DREAMers to receive Pell Grants, restoring Pell lifetime eligibility usage (LEU) to 18 semesters, and delivering additional aid to students from families participating in need-based federal programs. AACC is proud to endorse the legislation and thanks the sponsoring members for their focus on strengthening the Pell Grant program.