Dear Colleague: 

As I wrote in my Action Alert on Monday, your immediate advocacy in support of federal student aid and promoting the value of higher education is critical.  As you saw, the House of Representatives has proposed eliminating Federal Work-Study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants as part of its FY 2024 spending plan (See our lede story below for more details).

These cuts would be devastating for students and families.  I can’t stress enough the importance of reaching out to both your Representative and two Senators (the Senate will be considering this bill on July 27) to voice your opposition to these massive cuts.  Please see the talking points we provided in the Action Alert to help with your outreach.

This week I joined my colleagues on the steering committee of the Student Aid Alliance in writing the House Committee on Appropriations expressing our opposition to these cuts. There is still time to contact your elected representatives, and ask your students and families to weigh in, if you have not already done so.
 
Please let us know if there’s anything we can do to help with your advocacy efforts.  I have heard from many of you who have already contacted your Members of Congress and I thank you for your time and effort.   
 
In addition, members of both the House and Senate will soon be back home in their districts and states for the upcoming summer Congressional recess (July 29-September 11 for the House and July 29-September 4 for the Senate).  This is an opportune time to meet with and/or invite your representatives to campus to discuss private, nonprofit higher education.  We have created our “Home” talking points on value, cost and completion, and the federal student aid programs that you can tailor to help with these conversations.

I realize that many of you are enjoying time away from campus during your summer break, but your advocacy on these issues is paramount if we are to continue to protect the key federal student aid programs that help so many students and families.

Soundbites

• Earlier this week, the Columbus (OH) Dispatch published an op-ed by former NAICU President David Warren, who opined about the “full-scale assault intended to diminish the role of higher education as an integral guiding force in our nation.”  The op-ed is part of David’s work serving on the steering committee of the Champions of Higher Education, a group of former college and university presidents organized to confront these challenges.
• The Department of Education held a public virtual hearing to discuss potential topics for the upcoming student loan debt relief negotiated rulemaking. The Department announced the public hearing in response to the recent Supreme Court decision striking down the Biden Administration’s original student loan debt relief plan, and to solicit written and verbal comments from the public. The overwhelming majority of speakers were holders of student loan debt in favor of the Administration’s forgiveness plan, citing economic, racial justice, and moral grounds. Following this hearing, the Department will finalize the topics of discussion for the rulemaking sessions, which will begin this fall. 
• Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Roger Wicker (R-MS) reintroduced the Senator Paul Simon Study Abroad Program Act to expand study abroad opportunities for American students. NAICU and many other higher education organizations support the effort to increase the total number of undergraduate students studying abroad, increase the number of underrepresented and minority students in study abroad programs, and increase the number of students studying in nontraditional locations abroad.

This week’s Washington Update also reports on President Biden’s $39 billion loan forgiveness plan for borrowers enrolled in Income-Driven Repayment and a House hearing focused on foreign influence on college campuses.