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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Republicans fear Washington headed for shutdown after bruising spending fights
Republican lawmakers fear Washington may be headed for a government shutdown later this year after two bruising fights over President Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and a $9 billion rescissions package created bad blood on Capitol Hill. White House budget director Russell Vought says the administration plans to send up another wave of spending rescissions to Congress, and GOP leaders are already waving the caution flag on that as some Republicans privately warn it may not have the votes to pass. After six months of bitter partisan fighting since Trump's inauguration, Republicans will now need cooperation from Democrats to keep the government funded, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is warning GOP colleagues not to expect 'business as usual.' One senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee put the chances of a shutdown in the fall at 'a real square 50-50.' The lawmaker warned that if the White House sends up another rescissions package, 'it will be met with mixed results.' 'I agree with John Thune that we need to get to a regular appropriations process, and I think it gets in the way of that. So the timing, if they do another one, is going to have to be better timed and [have] much more detail,' the senator said, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). The senator acknowledged Democrats are furious after getting steamrolled on the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and the rescissions package. 'Who gets blamed for it?' the lawmaker mused. A second Republican senator who requested anonymity said the odds of a shutdown are significantly higher after scorched-earth battles with Democrats on the Trump's megabill, which cut nearly $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending, and the rescissions package, which defunded PBS and NPR and clawed back money from global aid programs. 'I think the Democrats are very unhappy,' the senator said. 'You got some of them that are running for president, you got some of them that are running for majority or minority leader over there. So, I think they're going to fight for us no matter what, and I think they see government funding as one of those places they want to fight. 'We're already thinking and talking about what we do there,' added the lawmaker, who has participated in conversations with GOP leaders. 'We know that no matter what we do they're ready to have that fight already,' the lawmaker added, referring to Democratic colleagues. 'They're going to want to fight. 'We're talking about how we're going to fund the government,' the source added. Schumer came under scathing criticism from the left flank of his party in March when he made the controversial decision to vote for a partisan government funding package drafted by the House to avoid a government shutdown. Schumer argued at the time that a shutdown would be worse than swallowing what Democrats saw as a highly partisan funding bill, because he said it would 'give Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE and Russell Vought the keys to the city, state and country.' He said a shutdown would give Trump and his allies 'carte blanche to destroy vital government services' as the president would have 'full authority to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel 'non-essential.'' Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) suggested Democrats in Washington need to show more fight against Trump's agenda. 'Frankly, a lot of our approval rating problems are from Democrats dissatisfied with our level of fight,' he said in reference to a recent Harvard-Harris poll of more than 2,000 registered voters nationwide that gave the Democratic Party a 40 percent job approval rating. 'I think that's probably because we have not been showing the fight they expect,' he said. That sets the stage for a bruising fight over government funding legislation this fall and the heightened possibility of a shutdown, lawmakers warn. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called the government funding bill that passed in March a 'disaster.' 'We need a bipartisan process, and Republicans were not committed to that in the spring,' he said. After two knockdown, drag-out fights with Democrats over the tax and spending bill and the rescissions package, during which angry Democrats dragged out the proceedings into the night with delay tactics, Thune is ready to shift to the regular appropriations process, which depends on bipartisan cooperation. He has hedged when asked how many additional rescissions packages he expects to take up from Vought, Trump's controversial head of the Office of Management and Budget. 'It's going to take 60 [votes] to fund the government,' Thune said. 'My expectation is, at least I hope, we plan to move [appropriations] bills that will have cooperation from the Democrats.' Asked whether there's support in his conference to take up another rescissions package, Thune said: 'We'll see what the future holds, but I think right now the goal is to get into the appropriations process.' 'Let's start marking up bills, trying to get them on the floor, and have a regular order appropriations process,' he added. Senate Republicans familiar with Thune's plans say he hopes to bring a package of appropriations bills to the Senate floor the week before the August recess. That package would likely consist of the agriculture appropriations bill, the military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill and possibly the legislative branch appropriations bill and the commerce, justice, science appropriations measure. The senior member of the Appropriations Committee said the goal is to get that package and possibly another one or two passed before government funding expires at the end of September. GOP senators are warning that if the White House budget office sends up another rescissions package to Congress this summer, it would likely throw a wrench into passing regular spending bills and avoiding a government shutdown. 'I really would like to have the rescissions being part of the appropriations package in the future,' said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Appropriations Committee. 'I'm going to counsel hard that they consider running them through the appropriations process,' he said of cuts the White House wants to make to certain government programs. 'Strategically, if you want to do appropriations, you got to have 60 votes in the Senate, and Democrats have to play a part in that.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
One Big, Beautiful Bill: How Pell Grant expansions will support millions in workforce training programs starting 2026
(AI Image) The US government is set to expand Pell Grants to include new workforce training programs as part of the landmark legislation signed by President Donald Trump. The law, known as the "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act," aims to provide financial aid to students enrolled in short-term post-high school training programs lasting between eight and 15 weeks. This expansion is scheduled to begin in July 2026, marking a significant shift in how federal aid supports non-traditional education paths. Under this law, the US Department of Education will be responsible for vetting and authorizing schools to receive Pell Grant funding for these new programs. The move is designed to assist millions of Americans seeking quick, targeted training in fields such as cosmetology and welding, thereby expanding access to career-focused education beyond traditional college degrees. Pell Grant expansion to short-term workforce training programs The One Big, Beautiful Bill Act establishes a new type of Pell Grant specifically for students enrolled in workforce training programs that are shorter than traditional college semesters. The expansion covers programs lasting from eight to 15 weeks, addressing the growing demand for flexible educational opportunities aligned with labor market needs. This initiative will allow students in approved programs to qualify for federal financial aid, providing critical support for individuals pursuing skills-based training. The Education Department is tasked with beginning the review and approval of eligible programs by July 2026, ensuring that schools meet federal standards to access Pell funds. Federal student loan repayment plan overhaul The legislation also replaces all existing federal student loan repayment programs for new borrowers after July 1, 2026, with two streamlined options: a standard repayment plan and an income-based plan. This change affects new borrowers, while the over 40 million Americans who currently hold federal student loans will retain access to some legacy repayment plans. However, around 8 million borrowers enrolled in President Joe Biden's signature repayment program will be required to transition to one of the new plans by 2028. The Federal Student Aid office, a division of the Education Department, will oversee this transition and manage repayment operations. New accountability rules for colleges In addition to financial aid changes, the bill mandates the Education Department to enforce new accountability standards on colleges and universities. The so-called "do no harm" test aims to prevent federal loans from being available to programs that fail to deliver a positive return on investment for students. To implement these rules, the Education Department will need to analyze extensive data from multiple sources, including colleges, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and state agencies. This data-driven process will assess program outcomes across thousands of schools and tens of thousands of programs over several years. Department of Education staffing and implementation challenges The Education Department faces considerable challenges in executing the new law amid significant workforce reductions. Since the beginning of the year, the department's staff has been cut by half, and recent Supreme Court rulings have allowed layoffs of more than 1,000 employees to proceed while legal disputes continue. Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, expressed concerns about the department's capacity to implement the legislation effectively. She told USA Today during a recent webinar, "I do have significant concerns that the speed of the cuts will have left us with a department that is unable to effectively implement this legislation." Similarly, Jon Fansmith, senior vice president for government relations at the American Council on Education, warned of upcoming difficulties, as reported by USA Today : "You can definitely anticipate a lot of problems." Previous challenges with federal student aid programs The department's recent history includes difficulties implementing large-scale changes. For example, the rollout of FAFSA simplification legislation in 2020 experienced significant problems that jeopardized financial aid for millions of students. Staffing shortages and reliance on contractors were among the factors cited for the flawed execution. Despite this, Education Department officials maintain that the agency is prepared to carry out the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act's mandates. Jeffrey Andrade, a senior official, released guidance for implementation on July 18, with promises of more detailed information in the following weeks and months. Deputy press secretary Ellen Keast told USA Today , "We will continue to deliver meaningful and on-time results while implementing the President's OBBB ('One Big Beautiful Bill') to better serve students, families, and administrators." Outlook for students and schools Financial aid administrators have already raised alarms about the potential for disruption as the department reallocates responsibilities to meet new demands. Melanie Storey, president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, stressed to USA Today the need for clear plans: "With significantly more work on the horizon to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we reiterate our concerns that the Trump administration has not shared the details of a plan to redistribute the Department's work in a way that does not cause significant disruption for America's college students." As the US prepares for these major changes in student aid and workforce training support, both students and educational institutions will be closely watching the department's progress in meeting the ambitious goals set by the new law. TOI Education is on WhatsApp now. Follow us here . Ready to navigate global policies? Secure your overseas future. Get expert guidance now!
The Hill
a day ago
- Business
- The Hill
Republicans fear Washington headed for shutdown after bruising spending fights
Republican lawmakers fear Washington may be headed for a government shutdown later this year after two bruising fights over President Trump's One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and a $9 billion rescissions package has created bad blood on Capitol Hill. White House budget director Russell Vought says the administration plans to send up another wave of spending rescissions to Congress and GOP leaders are already waving the caution flag on that as some Republicans privately warn it may not have the votes to pass. After six months of bitter partisan fighting since Trump's inauguration, Republicans will now need cooperation from Democrats to keep the government funded and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) is warning GOP colleagues not to expect 'business as usual.' One senior Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee put the chances of a shutdown in the fall at 'a real square 50-50.' The lawmaker warned that if the White House sends up another rescissions package, 'it will be met with mixed results.' 'I agree with John Thune that we need to get to a regular appropriations process and I think it gets in the way of that. So the timing, if they do another one, is going to have to be better timed and [have] much more detail,' the senator said, referring to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.). The senator acknowledged that Democrats are furious after getting steamrolled on the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act and the rescissions package. 'Who gets blamed for it?' the lawmaker mused. A second Republican senator who requested anonymity said the odds of a shutdown are significantly higher after scorched-earth battles with Democrats on the Trump's megabill, which cut nearly $1 trillion in federal Medicaid spending, and the rescissions package, which defunded PBS and NPR and clawed back money from global aide programs. 'I think the Democrats are very unhappy,' the senator said. 'You got some of them that are running for president, you got some of them that are running for majority or minority leader over there. So, I think they're going to fight for us no matter what and I think they see government funding as one of those places they want to fight. 'We're already thinking and talking about what we do there,' added the lawmaker, who has participated in conversations with GOP leaders. 'We know that no matter what we do they're ready to have that fight already,' the lawmaker added, referring to Democratic colleagues. 'They're going to want to fight. 'We're talking about how we're going to fund the government,' the source added. Schumer came under scathing criticism from the left flank of his party in March when he made the controversial decision to vote for a partisan government funding package drafted by the House to avoid a government shutdown. Schumer argued at the time that a shutdown would be worse than swallowing what Democrats saw as a highly partisan funding bill because he said it would 'give Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and DOGE and Russell Vought the keys to the city, state and country.' He said a shutdown would give Trump and his allies 'carte blanche to destroy vital government services' as the president would have 'full authority to deem whole agencies, programs and personnel 'non-essential.'' Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) suggested Democrats in Washington need to show more fight against Trump's agenda. 'Frankly, a lot of our approval rating problems are from Democrats dissatisfied with our level of fight,' he said in reference to a recent Harvard-Harris poll of more than 2,000 registered voters nationwide that gave the Democratic Party a 40 percent job approval rating. 'I think that's probably because we have not been showing the fight they expect,' he said. That sets the stage for a bruising fight over government funding legislation this fall and the heightened possibility of a shutdown, lawmakers warn. Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called the government funding bill that passed in March a 'disaster.' 'We need a bipartisan process and Republicans were not committed to that in the spring,' he said. After two knockdown, drag-out fights with Democrats over the tax and spending bill and the rescissions package, during which angry Democrats dragged out the proceedings into the night with delay tactics, Thune is ready to shift to the regular appropriations process, which depends on bipartisan cooperation. Thune has hedged when asked how many additional rescissions packages he expects to take up from Vought, Trump's controversial head of the Office of Management and Budget. 'It's going to take 60 [votes] to fund the government,' Thune said. 'My expectation is, at least I hope, we plan to move [appropriations] bills that will have cooperation from the Democrats.' Asked whether there's support in his conference to take up another rescissions package, Thune said: 'We'll see what the future holds, but I think right now the goal is to get into the appropriations process.' 'Let's start marking up bills, trying to get them on the floor, and have a regular order appropriations process,' he added. Senate Republicans familiar with Thune's plans say he hopes to bring a package of appropriations bills to the Senate floor the week before the August recess. That package would likely consist of the agriculture appropriations bill, the military construction and veterans affairs appropriations bill and possibly the legislative branch appropriations bill and the commerce, justice, science appropriations measure. The senior member of the Appropriations Committee said the goal is to get that package and possibly another one or two passed before government funding expires at the end of September. GOP senators are warning that if the White House budget office sends up another rescissions package to Congress this summer, it would likely throw a wrench into passing regular spending bills and avoiding a government shutdown. 'I really would like to have the rescissions being part of the appropriations package in the future,' said Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), a member of the Appropriations Committee. 'I'm going to counsel hard that they consider running them through the appropriations process,' he said of cuts the White House wants to make to certain government programs. 'Strategically, if you want to do appropriations, you got to have 60 votes in the Senate and Democrats have to play a part in that.'
The Herald Scotland
2 days ago
- Business
- The Herald Scotland
Close the Education Department? Not so fast.
But there's one obstacle that's less evident: the so-called "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act." Starting next year, the law will create two brand-new federal student loan repayment plans. It also expands Pell Grants, a staple of college financial aid, to include weekslong post-high school training programs. And it binds colleges to a fresh set of rules meant to protect students and save taxpayers money. Under the law, there's one person ultimately responsible for carrying out those directives: Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Her entire department will be required to mobilize its depleting resources to execute the wishes of Congress and the president. That dynamic puts Trump in an awkward position. In February, he said he wanted McMahon to "put herself out of a job." (In order to legally do that, he'd need the support of Senate Democrats, which he doesn't have.) But by signing his signature spending law, Trump gave McMahon a laundry list of important things to do. And those asks won't be simple or easy to turn into a reality, experts and former Education Department employees have said, without the right people to make them work. Trump has already cut the agency's workforce in half this year, and the Supreme Court on July 14 allowed more than 1,000 workers to stay fired while their layoffs are challenged in court. "I do have significant concerns that the speed of the cuts will have left us with a department that is unable to effectively implement this legislation," Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the right-leaning think tank the American Enterprise Institute, told USA TODAY during a recent webinar. Those worries were echoed by Jon Fansmith, senior vice president for government relations and national engagement at the American Council on Education, the country's main higher education association. "You can definitely anticipate a lot of problems," he said. College financial aid administrators are warning of "significant disruption" for students who rely on help to pay for school. Read more: How FAFSA 'fixes' have turned College Decision Day into chaos In spite of that unease, top officials at the Education Department have stressed that the agency is well-positioned to enact the law. On July 18, the agency published some guidance for implementation, and more information would be provided "in the weeks and months ahead," said Jeffrey Andrade, a top agency official. "Just within President Trump's first six months, the Department has responsibly managed and streamlined key federal student aid features," deputy press secretary Ellen Keast said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We will continue to deliver meaningful and on time results while implementing the President's OBBB ('One Big Beautiful Bill') to better serve students, families, and administrators." New student loan repayment plans, Pell Grant expansion For anyone who takes out new federal student loans after July 1, 2026, the law eliminates all current repayment programs and replaces them with only two: a standard plan and a plan based on borrowers' incomes. The more than 40 million Americans who already have federal student loan debt will still have access to some old repayment plans. But the 8 million borrowers enrolled in President Joe Biden's signature repayment plan will have to be switched to a different one by 2028. All of that work will be carried out by the Federal Student Aid office, a branch of the Education Department. The "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" also creates a special type of Pell Grant. It will be made available to students enrolled in short-term programs between eight and 15 weeks long in fields like cosmetology and welding. The Education Department has to start vetting and allowing schools to receive that money by July 2026. Different college oversight rules Trump's new legislation additionally tasks the Education Department with enforcing a framework for holding colleges and universities accountable for getting students well-paying jobs after graduation. Republicans call the measure a "do no harm" test. Put simply, it takes away the ability of some college programs to let students take out federal loans if those schools aren't providing a good return on investment. To fully implement the program, staffers at the Education Department have a lot of number-crunching to do. They'll likely need data from colleges, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and states, Fansmith said. All of that information will need to be aggregated and calculated across tens of thousands of programs, and thousands of schools, over a yearslong period. Robert Jason Cottrell, who was a data coordinator in the Office of Postsecondary Education before he was laid off in March, said he fears the Education Department may rely too heavily on contractors to get it all done. "I don't know if that's going to work," he said. Echoes of FAFSA challenges It's not the first time in recent years that the Education Department has been tasked with implementing big changes for students. The last time, it didn't go very well. In December 2020, Congress passed a law to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, a form that most students must fill out each year to get financial aid. But the rollout went haywire, jeopardizing the college dreams of millions. There were many reasons the agency bungled the law's implementation. Some federal officials blamed outside contractors, who were doing the bulk of the work because the Education Department was short-staffed. Other critics said former President Joe Biden spent too much time prioritizing student loan forgiveness. Read more: How did the FAFSA rollout go so wrong? A look at the key events Regardless of the cause, the effects were devastating: Some students decided to delay college or forgo it altogether. Parents made important decisions without enough information. And universities lost trust in the federal financial aid system. Things turned around, though. After Biden's Education Department brought in a special team to focus on the FAFSA, the form got better. Now, it's easier than ever to fill out. In many college financial aid offices, the wounds from the FAFSA crisis are still fresh. And since the Education Department layoffs, schools have struggled to get in touch with the government for routine requests. Those issues are already affecting their ability to help students. Read more: Colleges report widespread problems with financial aid since Education Department layoffs In a statement on July 14, Melanie Storey, the president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, emphasized that students and schools need more clarity about what comes next. "With significantly more work on the horizon to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we reiterate our concerns that the Trump administration has not shared the details of a plan to redistribute the Department's work in a way that does not cause significant disruption for America's college students," she said. Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@ Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @
USA Today
2 days ago
- Politics
- USA Today
Trump just made it harder to close the Education Department
Trump has said he wants to close the Education Department, but he just gave the agency a long to-do list WASHINGTON – When President Donald Trump signed a megabill with his spending and policy priorities into law on July 4, he distanced himself from another one of his goals: dismantling the U.S. Department of Education. Congressional Democrats have already tried to stand in the way of that effort – sometimes literally. So have the federal courts, which continue to debate the legality of the president's attempts to weaken the agency, whose work impacts students and schools across the country. But there's one obstacle that's less evident: the so-called "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act." Starting next year, the law will create two brand-new federal student loan repayment plans. It also expands Pell Grants, a staple of college financial aid, to include weekslong post-high school training programs. And it binds colleges to a fresh set of rules meant to protect students and save taxpayers money. Under the law, there's one person ultimately responsible for carrying out those directives: Education Secretary Linda McMahon. Her entire department will be required to mobilize its depleting resources to execute the wishes of Congress and the president. That dynamic puts Trump in an awkward position. In February, he said he wanted McMahon to "put herself out of a job." (In order to legally do that, he'd need the support of Senate Democrats, which he doesn't have.) But by signing his signature spending law, Trump gave McMahon a laundry list of important things to do. And those asks won't be simple or easy to turn into a reality, experts and former Education Department employees have said, without the right people to make them work. Trump has already cut the agency's workforce in half this year, and the Supreme Court on July 14 allowed more than 1,000 workers to stay fired while their layoffs are challenged in court. "I do have significant concerns that the speed of the cuts will have left us with a department that is unable to effectively implement this legislation," Beth Akers, a senior fellow at the right-leaning think tank the American Enterprise Institute, told USA TODAY during a recent webinar. Those worries were echoed by Jon Fansmith, senior vice president for government relations and national engagement at the American Council on Education, the country's main higher education association. "You can definitely anticipate a lot of problems," he said. College financial aid administrators are warning of "significant disruption" for students who rely on help to pay for school. Read more: How FAFSA 'fixes' have turned College Decision Day into chaos In spite of that unease, top officials at the Education Department have stressed that the agency is well-positioned to enact the law. On July 18, the agency published some guidance for implementation, and more information would be provided "in the weeks and months ahead," said Jeffrey Andrade, a top agency official. "Just within President Trump's first six months, the Department has responsibly managed and streamlined key federal student aid features," deputy press secretary Ellen Keast said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We will continue to deliver meaningful and on time results while implementing the President's OBBB ('One Big Beautiful Bill') to better serve students, families, and administrators.' New student loan repayment plans, Pell Grant expansion For anyone who takes out new federal student loans after July 1, 2026, the law eliminates all current repayment programs and replaces them with only two: a standard plan and a plan based on borrowers' incomes. The more than 40 million Americans who already have federal student loan debt will still have access to some old repayment plans. But the 8 million borrowers enrolled in President Joe Biden's signature repayment plan will have to be switched to a different one by 2028. All of that work will be carried out by the Federal Student Aid office, a branch of the Education Department. The "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" also creates a special type of Pell Grant. It will be made available to students enrolled in short-term programs between eight and 15 weeks long in fields like cosmetology and welding. The Education Department has to start vetting and allowing schools to receive that money by July 2026. Different college oversight rules Trump's new legislation additionally tasks the Education Department with enforcing a framework for holding colleges and universities accountable for getting students well-paying jobs after graduation. Republicans call the measure a "do no harm" test. Put simply, it takes away the ability of some college programs to let students take out federal loans if those schools aren't providing a good return on investment. To fully implement the program, staffers at the Education Department have a lot of number-crunching to do. They'll likely need data from colleges, the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and states, Fansmith said. All of that information will need to be aggregated and calculated across tens of thousands of programs, and thousands of schools, over a yearslong period. Robert Jason Cottrell, who was a data coordinator in the Office of Postsecondary Education before he was laid off in March, said he fears the Education Department may rely too heavily on contractors to get it all done. "I don't know if that's going to work," he said. Echoes of FAFSA challenges It's not the first time in recent years that the Education Department has been tasked with implementing big changes for students. The last time, it didn't go very well. In December 2020, Congress passed a law to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, a form that most students must fill out each year to get financial aid. But the rollout went haywire, jeopardizing the college dreams of millions. There were many reasons the agency bungled the law's implementation. Some federal officials blamed outside contractors, who were doing the bulk of the work because the Education Department was short-staffed. Other critics said former President Joe Biden spent too much time prioritizing student loan forgiveness. Read more: How did the FAFSA rollout go so wrong? A look at the key events Regardless of the cause, the effects were devastating: Some students decided to delay college or forgo it altogether. Parents made important decisions without enough information. And universities lost trust in the federal financial aid system. Things turned around, though. After Biden's Education Department brought in a special team to focus on the FAFSA, the form got better. Now, it's easier than ever to fill out. In many college financial aid offices, the wounds from the FAFSA crisis are still fresh. And since the Education Department layoffs, schools have struggled to get in touch with the government for routine requests. Those issues are already affecting their ability to help students. Read more: Colleges report widespread problems with financial aid since Education Department layoffs In a statement on July 14, Melanie Storey, the president of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, emphasized that students and schools need more clarity about what comes next. "With significantly more work on the horizon to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we reiterate our concerns that the Trump administration has not shared the details of a plan to redistribute the Department's work in a way that does not cause significant disruption for America's college students," she said. Zachary Schermele is an education reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at zschermele@ Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @
