Higher Ed Policy Roundup: Vol. 8 - Issue 38

The final House of Representative race has been called this week for Democrat Adam Gray in California’s 13th District. The results of the 2024 election give control of the House to Republicans by a margin of 220-215. However, in early 2025 Republicans will only have a 217-215 seat majority due to the resignation of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and the nominations of Reps. Michael Waltz (R-FL) and Elise Stefanik (R-NY) to positions in the incoming Trump Administration. Florida has announced that the special election primaries to replace Reps. Gaetz and Waltz will be January 28, with the special elections taking place on April 1. In New York, Governor Kathy Hochul will have 10 days after Rep. Stefanik resigns to announce a special election, which must occur 70 to 80 days after the announcement, under New York state law.

Late last week, the Education Department (ED) officially released the 2025-26 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) earlier than expected. Coming off the 2024-25 FAFSA that was plagued with delays stemming from implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act, ED announced it would be delaying release of the 2025-26 version until on or before December 1, 2024 to allow for testing and issue resolution before making it available to all students. ED also announced extended contact center hours and the hiring of an additional 700 agents to help students and families through the process.

A report from The Institute of College Access and Success highlights the significant rise in graduate student loan borrowing over the past few decades, driven by changes in federal student loan policies and underscoring the urgent need for equitable, multifaceted solutions.

The CATO Institute published its monthly update on student loan forgiveness efforts, reporting that the Biden-Harris Administration has canceled $180 billion in outstanding student loan debt, with additional initiatives awaiting final action.

The following bill(s) have been recently introduced for consideration by the 118th Congress (2023-24):

S. 5384 – Returning Education to Our States Act [Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD)] would abolish the Department of Education.