Under the House Republicans' new spending proposal, the Pell Grant program and the Education Department's Office for Civil Rights would receive unchanged funding, while the Office of Federal Student Aid would undergo significant cuts in fiscal year 2025.
The proposal is set within a greater appropriations bill and has generated considerable debate between lawmakers and other stakeholders.
Proposal Overview
The spending bill, which allocates funds for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, will undergo review by the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations subcommittee, initiating a contentious negotiation over federal funding. Much of those appropriations came from a spring 2023 deal that had settled the avoidance of federal debt default by setting spending levels for fiscal years 2024 and 2025, which limited nondefense increases to 1 percent. Democrats called this cap a measure that would inflict real pain, but in response, Republicans offered that it was needed to control federal spending.
President Biden had requested an additional $3.3 billion for the Education Department's budget, but the House Republican plan would cut funding for the agency by $11 billion below current levels. Some advocates of education are worried that the cut would impact spending for students and schools.
Impact on Federal Student Aid
One of the most striking elements of the proposal is the deep cut to funding for the Office of Federal Student Aid. It gives about $1.5 billion to the office, which is $529 million less than it currently receives. The Biden administration had requested an additional $625 million for the agency, saying it needs more money to oversee a slew of programs, like the widely used FAFSA, next year.
This cut comes to an already financially strapped workload for the Office of Federal Student Aid. It puts the office's effectiveness at risk as it administers student-aid programs for millions of students who rely on federal assistance to get them through school.
Reaction and Controversy
The proposed budget has become a lightning rod for both ends of the political spectrum. Alabama Representative Robert Aderholt, the Republican chair of the subcommittee, came out in defense of the bill. He explained that it provided the requisite resources to ground what he counted as reckless and very wasteful spending. He added that, very importantly, the proposal laid the groundwork for transparency and fiscal accountability.
Democrats have objected loudly. House Democrats on the appropriations committee criticized the plan, stating it would slash funding for federal work-study programs by 50% and eliminate funding for several other programs. Those facing cuts include subsidized childcare for low-income parents in postsecondary education and grants for research and infrastructure at historically Black colleges and universities, or HBCUs, and other minority-serving institutions.
Connecticut Representative Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the committee, says the bill puts important programs and services people count on their whole lives in jeopardy. She called the proposal an extraordinarily harmful effort to dismantle public education and undermine the opportunities that build the American Dream.
The House Republican fiscal year 2025 spending plan, released Tuesday, forces a contentious battle over federal funding priorities. There is a growing concern that the Office of Federal Student Aid and some other education programs, with their proposed cuts, will hurt students, educational institutions, and, specifically, those serving low-income and minority communities. As lawmakers of both parties gear up for negotiations, the outcome of this appropriations process will drastically change the face of education funding in the future for the United States.
With this legislation before the Labor-Health and Human Services appropriations subcommittee for deliberations, stakeholders watch with keen interest how things go. Balancing fiscal responsibility with the need to undergird important education programs will be near the top of themes in what lies ahead amidst the many forthcoming discussions.
