BUDGET RECONCILIATION NEWS
| |
Biden Unveils $1.75 Trillion Spending Plan, but Divisions Delay Economic Agenda
President Biden on Thursday unveiled a new $1.75 trillion package to overhaul the country’s health-care, education, climate and tax laws, muscling through a slew of policy disagreements and internecine political feuds that had stalled his economic plans for months. But the long-awaited proposal did not prove enough to advance his broader agenda, including a second, separate $1.2 trillion package to improve the country’s roads, bridges, pipes, ports and Internet connections. The announcement Thursday marked a critical moment in Biden’s tenure, prompting the president to pay another visit to Capitol Hill and issue a call to action to his own party. The call to action at first appeared to galvanize some Democrats, and the new $1.75 trillion framework soon generated praise. It also prompted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to move toward holding a vote on the companion infrastructure bill on Thursday. But House Democrats ultimately scrapped their tentative plans for a vote by Thursday night, as some in the party remained unsatisfied with the process. ( The Washington Post - Oct. 28, 2021)
***See also, the following related news item:
- What's In and What's Out of the Biden Framework - The Hill - Oct. 28, 2021
| |
Down to $40 Billion
The White House and Democratic lawmakers unveiled Thursday the latest iteration of President Biden’s social spending plan —which includes a total of $40 billion in higher education and workforce development investments —with hopes that the substantially smaller package than originally proposed will finally garner enough support to pass Congress. Though tuition-free community college —the original centerpiece of Biden’s college affordability agenda —was cut from the legislation during negotiations, the now $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act includes several wins for higher education albeit, smaller wins than hoped for. Notably, the bill increases the current maximum Pell Grant award of $6,495 by $550, slightly more than what was originally proposed. The legislation includes $500 million for fiscal year 2022 for college retention and completion grants, a federal funding focus that some policy experts have called “revolutionary.” Like other parts of the bill, the investment is much lower than proposed. But its inclusion represents a shift in how the federal government thinks about the issues facing college students . . . . ( Inside Higher Ed - Oct. 29, 2021)
| |
Biden Looks to Spend $100B on Immigration as House Explores Legalization Pathways
The Biden administration is pledging to set aside some $100 billion to address immigration issues through its $1.75 trillion social spending package as the House released its plan for providing legal status to undocumented migrants. The Build Back Better framework released by the White House Thursday comes as lawmakers have hit repeated roadblocks with the Senate Parliamentarian over how to use the reconciliation package to provide a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants in the U.S. The House on Thursday also released its draft text of the bill, including a provision to allow undocumented people who arrived in the U.S. by 2010 to apply for legal status. It’s largely “placeholder” text as it mirrors the Plan B option already presented by the Senate that was struck down by the chamber’s Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough. The House bill also includes a provision to recapture up to 226,000 unused visas. ( The Hill - Oct. 28, 2021)
| |
Revised Budget Reconciliation Package Reduces NASA Infrastructure Funds
A new, scaled-back version of a spending package released Oct. 28 sharply reduced the money allocated to NASA infrastructure and climate change projects, while continuing to exclude funding for a second Artemis lunar lander. The House released the text of the Build Back Better Act, a $1.75 trillion spending bill that is a revised version of an original $3.5 trillion bill often known as the budget reconciliation package because of the process by which it would be used to win passage in the Senate. The bill’s release came hours after President Joe Biden announced the revised proposal in a speech at the White House. The bill includes $750 million for upgrades to NASA infrastructure, $140 million for Earth science research and applications, and $220 million for NASA’s aeronautics program. ( SpaceNews - Oct. 29, 2021)
| |
Department Defers Decision on For-profit Accreditor Renewal
The Department of Education has deferred its decision on whether to continue recognizing the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges, as it announced Thursday the recognition status of nine accrediting agencies. A decision will be made on the renewal of recognition for ACCSC —an agency that predominantly accredits for-profit career institutions and has come under fire for approving institutions with poor student outcomes —once it submits further information about its monitoring, evaluation and actions related to high-risk institutions, according to the department. ACCSC was at the center of the debate among members of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity during its July meeting, at which the advisory committee broke from the department in recommending that a senior department official renew ACCSC’s federal recognition for three years. ( Inside Higher Ed - Oct. 29, 2021)
| |
President Biden Issues Proclamation on Advancing the Safe Resumption of Global Travel
President Biden issued a proclamation on Monday ending existing country-by-country COVID-19 travel restrictions in favor of a vaccine mandate for all non-citizen, nonimmigrant travelers. The mandate applies to students and scholars, but not to Afghan parolees, who have separate vaccine requirements. The proclamation is effective as of 12:01 a.m. ET on November 8. For information about how the proclamation will be implemented, please visit CDC’s website. The proclamation includes an exception for certain travelers from countries with limited COVID-19 vaccine availability (defined as countries where less than 10% of the population has been fully vaccinated). Following the proclamation, the State Department issued a notice stating that rescission of travel restrictions does not mean that local U.S. embassies or consulates would be able to immediately schedule affected applicants for visa interviews. ( Association of American Universities - Oct. 27, 2021)
| |
AAU, Associations Submit Comments on Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility
AAU joined ACE and 16 other higher education associations in responding to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services’ advance notice of proposed rulemaking seeking public feedback on a future regulatory proposal on the public charge ground of inadmissibility. The comments ask the agency to reverse several problematic provisions introduced in the final rule issued by the previous administration. Specifically, the comments urge USCIS to explicitly exempt Title IV student aid programs; ensure that the rule does not apply to nonimmigrant applicants, including F-1, J-1, and H-1B specialty visa applicants; and remove use of health and food security programs, such as SNAP and Medicaid, as a factor in determining public charge inadmissibility. ( Association of American Universities - Oct. 27, 2021)
| |
Follow the Office of Federal Relations on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube!
| |
|