December 1, 2025

Leading the News this Week

With little time left before the end of the calendar year, the Senate and the House have said they are hard at work to find a solution to the expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits and the rest of the appropriations work that still needs attention. Please read on to the next section for more details. 

News in Higher Education

The House and the Senate Have Different Appropriations Approaches

Congress still needs to pass nine remaining appropriations bills, which include the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) bill. Both the LHHS bill and the Defense appropriations bill are the two biggest funding bills, which House Republican appropriators are unwilling to make progress on this month. The Senate, on the other hand, aims to put these on the Senate floor for debate. Regardless of which path towards enactment Congress takes, members have until January 30, 2026, to pass one or more funding packages to fully fund the government; otherwise, the government will reenter a shutdown.  

New Appointees Selected to the Department of Education's Accreditation Oversight Committee

Last week, the Trump administration appointed five new accreditors to serve six-year terms on the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). NACIQI gives the Department of Education feedback on which accreditation bodies should receive formal recognition from the Department. Recognition permits these bodies to provide accreditation to institutions of higher education, which allows them to participate in the federal student loan and grants programs. The Trump administration deems that the accreditation system needs reform to encourage more competition in the accreditation field and to rid the accreditation process of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) mandates. The administration still has to appoint one more member to the Committee.

Approaching Deadline for FIPSE Grant

The Department of Education has opened a grant competition for the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) for the FY 2025 competition.

Since FIPSE's funding schedule ends at the end of the calendar year, instead of the end of the fiscal year, September 30th, the Department is able to run a grant competition to spend the Congressionally appropriated funds. 

For this competition, the Department is directing $167 million to cover four of its designated areas of need: Artificial Intelligence, Civil Discourse, Accreditation, and Short-Term Programs. As such, there will not be FY25 funding available to cover other programs such as Basic Needs, the Postsecondary Success Grant, or the Rural Postsecondary Education Development program, to name a few. 

Read the ACCT Now piece, FIPSE Funding Under the Second Trump Administration for more on how the Trump Administration transformed FIPSE.

Institutions wishing to apply for these funds must know that the deadline is December 3, 2025, a tight turnaround time. 

Read the Grant Opportunities section for additional information

Join Us in Advocacy

As a reminder, in this appropriations cycle, ACCT is advocating for members of Congress to fund programs such as Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) and the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP). These programs provide much-needed support for students and institutions.

To move forward with our advocacy and communicate with lawmakers the importance of CCAMPIS and SIP, we need your help! We urge you to please share with us how your campuses have benefited from CCAMPIS and SIP at publicpolicy@acct.org. 

Also, we call upon you to participate in our Action Campaign and let your member of Congress know the devastating effects should CCAMPIS and SIP no longer exist.  

Grant Opportunities

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

Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE)

The Department of Education opened a new grant opportunity, which features seven priorities that support four areas of need:  expanding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), protecting and promoting civil discourse on college and university campuses, encouraging accreditation reform, and building capacity for high-quality short-term programs. For community colleges, the very likely area of relevance may be the short-term programs, specifically, "the Expansion of Existing High-Quality Short-Term Programs priority" meant to support the expansion of existing short-term programs.  

The Notice Inviting Applications for the FIPSE competition has been published in the Federal Register. The deadline to apply is December 3, 2025. The Department expects to make awards by December 31, 2025. Click here ​​​​​​for additional information.

• December 3, 2025: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Due
• December 5, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
• December 16: Preparing for Workforce Pell: Workforce Alignment
• January 13: Preparing for Workforce Pell: Student Outreach
• February 8-11, 2026: National Legislative Summit

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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