OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Fafsa Deadline Act

Floor Speech

Date: Nov. 15, 2024
Location: Washington, DC

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to cosponsor H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act, and I commend Congresswoman Houchin for her leadership on this important piece of legislation.

Mr. Speaker, it isn't too often that we get to say this, but there is bipartisan agreement in recognizing the Department of Education's rollout of FAFSA has been nothing short of an embarrassment. Sadly, it is an embarrassment that negatively impacted students across the country, teachers, professors, and especially lower income students who need financial assistance the most.

I was proud to be part of the bipartisan effort to overhaul FAFSA and make it simpler, but after 3 long years to implement the reforms, the Department dropped the ball numerous times. As a result, over 430,000 fewer students submitted a FAFSA form, according to GAO.

Additionally, there have been numerous reports from across the country about how this botched rollout has affected institutions. This fall semester, institutions experienced the steepest drop in first-year enrollment since the pandemic, pushing many institutions to the financial brink.

This is unacceptable. H.R. 8932 is a commonsense bill to provide students, families, and institutions much-needed clarity by ensuring the FAFSA is released and fully operational on October 1 of each year. Doing so will ensure schools and counselors are able to conduct outreach efforts as needed. Colleges will be able to get their financial aid offers processed in a timely manner, and students will be able to make informed decisions about their academic future.

Mr. Speaker, under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Education has become a bloated arsenal of bureaucracy, more focused on woke policies than its core mission. I look forward to working with the incoming Trump administration on rightsizing the Department of Education, if that is even possible, and putting American students and their families first.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all Members to support H.R. 8932.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward