Democrats' Next Political High-wire Act: Selling Their $3.5T Budget Deal
Top Senate Democrats are finally in array on a $3.5 trillion price tag for their party's momentous social spending plans. Their next task will be even tougher: selling it to the rest of their party. The massive top-line number that Senate Budget Committee Democrats released Tuesday night affords plenty of room to spend on President Joe Biden’s priorities, from child care to fighting climate change. But just because Senate Budget Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) climbed down from his initial hopes of a $6 trillion spending plan doesn't mean that his fellow progressives will fall in line as easily. And on the other end of the party's ideological spectrum are leery moderates who want to see as much of the bill paid for as possible. Further complicating Democrats’ ambitious goals, a bipartisan group of senators has yet to release legislative text for the $1 trillion infrastructure deal that won Biden's endorsement for last month—a bill that would move separately but could be crucial to the success of the partisan budget blueprint. While Senate Budget Committee Democrats now have an agreement on a top-line number, they still need to release policy details. ( Politico - July 14, 2021)
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Nominee Faces Criticism at Confirmation Hearing
President Biden’s pick to lead the Office for Civil Rights at the Department of Education maintained her strong opinions of current Title IX regulations during her confirmation hearing Tuesday, even as Republican senators criticized her previous tenure at the department. Catherine Lhamon, who was nominated to serve as assistant secretary for civil rights in May, said she believes the regulations surrounding Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 enacted by the Trump administration permit “students to rape and sexually harass with impunity.” “I think that … the regulation has weakened the intent of Title IX that Congress wrote,” Lhamon said, adding that she was particularly concerned about the lack of responsibility for institutions to investigate reports that aren’t made to the Title IX coordinator or any other designated mandatory reporter. Cassidy asked if she would still enforce the law as it exists despite her views on it —Lhamon affirmed that she would, given it would be a part of her responsibility as assistant secretary. ( Inside Higher Ed - July 14, 2021)
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ACE Helps Launch National Campaign to #DoublePell
ACE is proud to be part of a national campaign to double the maximum Pell Grant to $13,000 and help more students earn a degree, get a good-paying job and achieve a brighter future. The campaign features a new website, doublepell.org, which provides students and families with the tools to communicate with Congress, engage on social media, and share personal stories about how the Pell Grant has helped them—and express their support for doubling Pell by June 2022, the 50th anniversary of the program’s creation. #DoublePell is a national campaign led by the Double Pell Alliance, a coalition of higher education associations, organizations, and advocacy groups committed to this goal. Doubling the maximum Pell Grant is an important investment that will drive economic recovery, help address racial and economic inequities, particularly in light of pandemic-related challenges, and increase overall educational attainment, noted ACE President Ted Mitchell. ( American Council on Education - July 12, 2021)
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Fewer College Students Will Have to Verify Financial Aid Information This School Year, Education Dept. Says
Fewer college students from low-income households will be asked this year to provide further proof that the information on their financial aid application is accurate, the Education Department said Tuesday. With the financial impact of the pandemic still rippling through communities, the agency is temporarily relaxing its audit of students who rely on federal grants and loans to pay for school. The department will focus the audit, known as verification, on ferreting out identity theft and fraud for the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, cycle. Verification is intended to maintain the integrity of the $120 billion federal financial aid system, especially the billions of dollars in Pell grants provided to students with limited means. But the process is widely criticized as being an invasive, time-consuming and unnecessary hurdle for some of higher education’s most vulnerable populations. ( The Washington Post - July 13, 2021)
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