Murray, Sanders, Scott, and 106 Colleagues Urge Department of Education to Address FAFSA Rollout Issues

Murray urges Department to address challenges in rolling out major FAFSA overhaul she negotiated, minimize further impacts on families, and ensure students can get the full aid they are entitled to under the new changes

Washington, D.C. — Today, as the traditional May 1st “college decision day” approaches, U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), a senior member and former chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined education leaders in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, along with 106 of their colleagues, in writing to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to call on the Department of Education to address operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that impacts millions of students across the country.

The letter was led by Senator Murray, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP), and Rep. Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (D-Va.), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Education & the Workforce.

The members wrote: “We are supportive of the Department’s decision to make these adjustments in the updated form, but were disappointed to hear these adjustments would lead to even further delays in this year’s FAFSA processing. …We write today to ask for more clarity on how the Department plans to communicate any further delays in FAFSA processing, and how the Department intends to minimize the potential impact on students and families so they can make the most informed decision possible about their futures, including through providing prompt, clear timelines.”

They continued: “Any delays in financial aid processing will most impact the students that need aid most, including many students of color, students from mixed status families, students from rural backgrounds, students experiencing homelessness or in foster care, first-generation students, and students from underserved communities. For institutions to support students’ ability to make informed decisions about their future, they need clear guidance and resources from the Department immediately on any and all next steps.”

Every year, about 17 million students fill out the FAFSA form as a first step to accessing the financial aid needed to cover the skyrocketing costs of higher education. As the top Democrat on the Senate HELP Committee in 2020, Senator Murray successfully negotiated—and got signed into law—bipartisan legislation to reform the financial aid application process, simplify the FAFSA form for students and parents, and significantly expand eligibility for federal aid. The law directs the Department to streamline the application form and make long overdue updates to the formulas that assess a student’s financial need. According to the Department, as a result of this law, the 2024-2025 FAFSA form will ensure 610,000 more students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive a federal Pell Grant, and 1.5 million more students will be eligible to receive the maximum Pell Grant.

However, implementation of these changes is a significant undertaking—one that the Department has had to do with less funding than it anticipated. As a result, operational glitches and delays in the rollout of the new version of the FAFSA have left students and colleges in limbo as they await financial aid decisions—and as some are unable to complete their applications.

“The recent announcements from the Department were a welcome first step in addressing the many challenges students, counselors, aid administrators, and relevant stakeholders are facing in accessing, submitting, and processing the new FAFSA form,” continued the lawmakers. “But now, it is imperative that we all work together to ensure no student falls through the cracks or faces unnecessary challenges in accessing the aid they are due.”

Joining Senators Sanders and Murray on the letter were 36 Senators, including: Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Catherine Cortez-Masto (D-Nev.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

Read the letter in full HERE.

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