July 14, 2025

Leading the News this Week

Today, in a 6-3 vote, the Supreme Court ruled to lift the preliminary injunction placed by a lower court on May 22nd, which blocked the Department of Education from continuing its downsizing efforts. Continue to the next section for more details. 

News in Higher Education

Supreme Court Sides with the Trump Administration on Department of Education Terminations

Today, the Trump administration obtained a victory when the Supreme Court ruled to allow the Department of Education to continue with terminating department employees. This is a reversal from a lower court's ruling, which placed a preliminary injunction that blocked the department from firing employees; ordered the reinstatement of already terminated staff; and halted efforts to transfer department functions to other agencies. 

The decision of the Court lifts the injunction, meaning that mass terminations can resume while litigation is still ongoing. Therefore, the overall case has not yet reached its conclusion. In a press release, the Secretary of Education, Linda McMahon, confirmed that the department will indeed "carry out the reduction in force to promote efficiency and accountability."

ACCT Announces its New Advocacy Series

The next six months will be a pivotal time for community colleges. The directives from the newly signed reconciliation package are now law; the debate in Congress about Fiscal Year 2026 funding is looking to be intense; and the landscape around federally funded grants to institutions is rapidly changing. These and other factors have created an environment characterized by uncertainty.   

To help our members, ACCT will be producing a hands-on advocacy series that will support community college leaders in sharing the positive impacts of their campuses, building relationships at the federal level, and considering the role of federal funding in your college’s budget.  

This free virtual advocacy training series will support community college leaders in telling their story: the value of community colleges to their regions and the importance of federal programs in supporting their work.

Please join us for one, two, or all sessions in this important training series. 

This series is for ACCT members only. Sessions will be interactive and will not be recorded. 

• July 24th, 1:30 PM - 3 PM ET: Storytelling for Advocacy Meetings
• Aug 6th, 2:30 PM- 4 PM ET: Op-Ed How To on Community College Value 
• Aug 13th, 2:30 PM - 4 PM ET: Navigating the Federal Grant Landscape

Click here for additional information on this webinar series.

Appropriations Update

Late last week, the Senate began its appropriations process by marking up three of the twelve appropriations bills. The fourth bill, Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies, is slated for a full committee markup later this week. Meanwhile, the Senate Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations markup is yet to be scheduled. In the other chamber, the House is planning to markup five bills at the subcommittee level this week. The LHHS appropriations subcommittee and full committee markup were initially scheduled on July 21st and 24th, respectively, but it is unclear if appropriators will stay on schedule given recent delays.

ICYMI: LAW Live - "Reconciliation" Edition

During ACCT's monthly federal update webinar, the Government Relations team discussed how the reconciliation bill, now law, colloquially known as the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," will impact community colleges, higher education, and workforce development.

A significant portion of the conversation revolved around the Trump administration's new Interpretive Guidance of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act (PRWORA) as it pertains to the participation of undocumented individuals in Adult Basic Education and Perkins CTE programs. 

As we mentioned, this guidance is not a legally binding notice; yet, the Administration has indicated they will use this interpretation when reviewing programs, starting on August 9, 2025. How exactly this will play out is unclear and we are working to gather as much information as possible. If there are questions your institution or program have regarding this new guidance, please share them with the ACCT Public policy team at publicpolicy@acct.org so that we may relay them to the appropriate contacts at ED.

While we hope additional information will be made available in the coming weeks, institutions should consider what existing verification processes they have in place and whether changes will need to be made in light of these developments.

Slides and the recording of the presentation will be available on  ACCT Connect this week. 

In the meantime, please take a look at ACCT's statement on H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," as well as our fact sheet, which provides additional details on this law. 

Workforce Pell Survey is Open

With Workforce Pell now enacted into law, ACCT is interested in better understanding of the needs of community colleges as they navigate the implementation of Workforce Pell. As such, ACCT has opened up a survey for members to share what will be the most helpful areas in which ACCT can support them. Click here to access the Workforce Pell Implementation Support Survey.

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISI) Program 

The AANAPISI Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education to enable them to improve and expand their capacity to serve Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander students. Institutions may use these grants to plan, develop, or implement activities that strengthen the institution's services, leading to student success. The closing date for this grant is August 13. Click here ​​​​​for additional information.

Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNH) Program, Part A 

The ANNH Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education to enable them to improve and expand their capacity to serve Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian students. Institutions may use these grants to plan, develop, or implement activities that strengthen the institution. The closing date for this grant is August 13. Click here ​​​​​for additional information.

Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions (NASNTI) Program 

The NASNTI Program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education to enable them to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native Americans and low-income individuals. Institutions may use the grants to plan, develop, undertake, and carry out activities to improve and expand their capacity to serve Native American and low-income students. The closing date for this grant is August 13. Click here ​​​​​​for additional information.

Transition Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities (TPSID) into Higher Education 

The purpose of the TPSID program is to support model demonstration programs that promote the successful transition of students with intellectual disabilities into higher education and to enable institutions of higher education (IHEs), or consortia of IHEs, to create or expand high-quality, inclusive model comprehensive transition and postsecondary programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The closing date for this grant is August 13. Click here for additional information.

• July 17: Rehabilitation Services Administration (RSA): Rehabilitation Training: Rehabilitation Long-Term Training Program Closing Date

• July 24th, 1:30 PM ET - 3 PM ET: Storytelling for Advocacy Meetings

• Aug 1, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar

• Aug 6th, 2:30 PM ET - 4:00 PM ET: Op-Ed How To - Community College Value
• Aug 13th, 2:30 PM ET - 4:00 PM ET: Navigating the Federal Grant Landscape
• Aug 13th: Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program, Part A Grant Deadline
• Aug 13th: Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions Program Grant Deadline
• Aug 13th: Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions Grant Deadline
• Aug 13th: Transition Programs for Students With Intellectual Disabilities Into Higher Education Grant Deadline
• Sep 5, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
• October 22 - 25: ACCT Leadership Congress

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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