With government funding set to expire on Friday, November 17, Congress must pass another stopgap funding measure by the end of the week to avoid a government shutdown. At the same time, House Republicans have struggled to advance their fiscal year 2024 (FY 24) appropriations bills.
The House has now released the budget report accompanying the House Labor-HHS-Education (LHHS) FY 24 funding bill. Report language is typically released when the Appropriations Committee considers the funding bill, but the FY 24 LHHS bill was sent out of the committee without a full vote. The report language has now been released with the House Rules Committee set to consider the bill this week.
The report confirms that the House bill would eliminate funding for Federal Supplemental Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS) and the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. It would keep the maximum Pell Grant award flat at $7,395. The bill would reduce funding for Postsecondary Student Success Grants to $15 million (a $30 million cut) and would halve funding for Basic Needs Grants to $5 million. The bill maintains funding for the Title III-A Strengthening Institutions Program and the Strengthening Community College Training Grants (SCCTG) program. The bill also would eliminate funding for some other Department of Labor job training programs.
Nursing report
The report includes new language requiring Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to compile a report and analysis of how HRSA will prioritize opportunities for community college nursing programs in Title VIII nursing workforce development grant programs. Community colleges play an essential role in the education of our healthcare workforce, educating nearly 40% of registered nurses. Despite the contributions of the sector and the immense need for a trained healthcare workforce in communities across the country, less than 1% of Title VIII grants have been awarded to community colleges. The American Association of Community Colleges is working to change that.
The House plans to bring the LHHS bill to the floor next week (the week of November 13), but with the continuing resolution set to expire and no agreement in place to continue funding the government, it may be delayed.
