Chicago- March 03, 2024
On Tuesday, the Biden administration promised that hundreds of thousands more students than it originally thought would qualify for federal financial aid to pay for college this year.
By Thursday, that promise had disappeared.
Congress slapped it down, as lawmakers squabbled to reach an agreement on a temporary measure to keep the federal government’s lights on.
Some of them accused the Biden administration of overstepping its authority. The Education Department said it was just trying to give more help to families who need it.
The blame game is only stressing colleges out more, after the people who put together financial aid offers spent a week in limbo because of all the political back-and-forth.
Some, including Karen McCarthy, the vice president of the National Association for Student Financial Aid Administrators, worry the turmoil in Washington might only end up delaying financial aid offers to students even further over the coming months.
“They’re all scrambling to figure out what their plan is now,” she said, referring to the software providers that work with colleges, during a podcast interview this week.
The quiet battle among congressional budget experts was prompted by a sudden request from the Biden administration on Monday. The Education Department abruptly briefed them that the agency planned to direct billions of additional dollars next year to the federal Pell grant program. Pell grants help low-income families pay for college.
The move would have increased financial aid for potentially hundreds of thousands. But it also would have quickly depleted Congress’ reserves for the program, threatening that same aid in the years to come.
