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.
Cardona to defends Biden budget, ED programs
Last week, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona appeared before the Senate Labor-HHS Appropriations Subcommittee to defend the Biden administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2024. The secretary had appeared before the House Labor-HHS Subcommittee in April.
Secretary Cardona focused much of his testimony on the administration’s proposal to build stronger career pathways, highlighting proposed investments in career and technical education and career-connected schools. He also pointed to free community college and increases to the Pell Grant as key budget priorities.
While Ranking Member Shelley Moore Capito (R-West Virginia) criticized the free community college plan, both she and Chair Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisconsin) highlighted a shared interest in workforce development efforts. Baldwin touted the importance of Perkins funding and the career-connected schools proposal. Capito pushed for additional support for alternative pathways, including expanding Pell Grants to shorter-term workforce programs.
Secretary Cardona was back on the Hill yesterday, this time facing the House Committee on Education and the Workforce for an oversight hearing entitled “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” Chair Virginia Foxx (R-North Carolina) focused her opening statement criticizing the Biden Administration’s student debt cancellation plan, continued payment pause extensions, the new income-driven repayment (IDR) plan, and the new Title IX regulations, which she categorized as executive overreach. Dr. Foxx also criticized the Department’s response to her oversight letters. Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) focused his opening statement on the need to ensure opportunity for all students and praised the Department’s actions around student debt relief and civil rights. Mr. Scott also sharply criticized House Republicans’ proposed cuts to domestic programs, which he described as potentially devastating for Pell Grant recipients and student borrowers.
WIOA reform still on policymakers’ agenda
Last week, the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development hosted a hearing titled “Examining America’s Workforce Challenges: Looking for Ways to Improve Skill Development.” The subcommittee asked panelists – representing employers and workforce development providers – what changes should be made to the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) to better connect job-seekers with training opportunities and to strengthen the talent pool for local employers.
While community colleges were not witnesses at the hearing, witnesses and policymakers alike extolled innovative programs at local community colleges and underscored the importance of partnering with local community colleges in workforce development efforts. Other topics included refining the eligible provider list, encouraging employers to use WIOA to fill workforce needs, and expanding Pell Grant eligibility to students enrolled in shorter-term programs – a key workforce development priority for AACC.
Two new bills of note
This week, the Immersive Technology for the American Workforce Act was reintroduced by Reps. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Delaware) and Tim Walberg (R-Michigan). The bill would create a five-year grant program at the Department of Labor to support community colleges that feature immersive technology in their programs. AACC has endorsed this legislation.
Last week, Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-California) reintroduced the Enhance Access to SNAP (EATS) Act, with companion legislation introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York). The bill would increase SNAP eligibility for college students by counting their time participating in higher education as fulfilling the program’s work requirement and removing complicated student eligibility criteria altogether.
The bill is just one of several proposals to address food insecurity among college students ahead of the reauthorization of the Farm Bill, which governs nutrition assistance programs. AACC is monitoring these proposals and is eager to work with policymakers on both sides of the aisle to advance a policy change that encourages uptake of these benefits for students at our colleges. The policy environment is complicated, and AACC is set on finding the right balance between what is desirable and what can be achieved.
Funding opportunities
Applications are open for key community college funding opportunities:
- Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) – Due May 22
- Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program – Due May 30
- Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program – Due June 12
- Building Pathways to Infrastructure Jobs Grant Program – Due July 7 for the first round
In addition, AACC is hosting a webinar with Department of Commerce officials on funding and partnership opportunities available to community colleges through the CHIPS and Science Act. The webinar is on May 22. We hope that it will help member colleges navigate a funding process in which partnerships with business are required.
For more detailed information on these issues, visit the Community College Advocacy Updates page on our website.
