Rep. Foxx Previews Higher Education Reform Plans

Last week, Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), Republican leader of the House Committee on Education and Labor, laid out her plans for reforming the higher education system at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).  The proposals and ideas highlighted by Rep. Foxx could be a precursor of what to expect should the Republicans take over the majority in the House of Representatives. 

In the initial Republican response to the recent proposal to forgive student loans by the Biden Administration, Rep. Foxx stressed the importance of holding institutions accountable. At the AEI event, she outlined the following additional priorities that could be pushed by Republicans in the 118th Congress: 

• The pricing system of institutions should be addressed, and transparency of college costs should be increased;
• Federal funding for workforce Pell Grants should be increased to help students choose an alternative path to a higher education credential instead of the traditional model that leads to a Bachelor’s degree; 
• Institutional accountability at the programmatic level should be increased to ensure that there is a proper financial return on investment for the borrower; and 
• Institutions should be held accountable by creating a risk-sharing element that will require institutions to financially share in the risk of the student’s success post-graduation, also known has having “skin in the game.”

When asked about the prospects of the Higher Education Act (HEA) being reauthorized, Rep. Foxx expressed optimism for achieving this goal and a willingness to work with her colleagues across the aisle. The committee Republicans are currently working on a comprehensive bill to reauthorize the HEA. 

For more information, please contact:
Emmanual Guillory