June 9, 2025

Leading the News this Week

ACCT has been advocating to the Senate Health, Labor, and Pensions Committee on the likely impacts of the House reconciliation bill that they are currently reviewing.  We are greatly concerned with the One Big Beautiful Bill's proposal to eliminate Pell eligibility for students enrolled in less than half-time (this would amount to 7.5 credits, which in a traditional 3 credits per course model means that students would have to enroll for three classes (9 credits) to be Pell eligible). The first few weeks of June will be a critical time to reach out to these Senators and advocate for community colleges and their students. To further amplify these efforts in this slim window of time, we ask you to participate in our action campaign and let your Senators know, with data, the ill effects of this portion of the House reconciliation bill. Take action here!

For a deep dive on the downstream effects of these Pell Grant changes, please check out our newest blog post, Impacts and Consequences of One Big Beautiful Bill Act  Pell Changes, for more information.

Any questions or requests for support in contacting the Senate should be directed to publicpolicy@acct.org. 

News in Higher Education

Reconciliation Slows Down in Senate

As the Senate is working on the provisions in the reconciliation bill, Senate leadership is currently working to secure several Republican holdouts to pass this bill by their deadline of July 4th. As Senate majority leader, John Thune (SD) explained, "we have people that have different priorities," acknowledging that finalizing the reconciliation bill is a complicated balancing act where the following considerations must take place:

• Senate Republicans only have a three-vote majority with five Senators, Hawley (MO), Paul (KY), Johnson (WI), Collins (ME), and Murkowski (AK), seen as likely holdouts, each for distinct reasons.
• Major alterations to the Senate reconciliation bill might make this unpalatable to House Republicans, who passed their version a few weeks ago by one vote. Congress must resolve the major differences between the House and Senate proposals once the Senate passes its version.

Meanwhile, House Speaker Johnson teased the idea of breaking up the reconciliation bill into more than one bill. Reconciliation can take place once per fiscal year, which concludes on September 30th. 

The Trump Administration Asks the Supreme Court to Lift Appeals Ruling

On May 22nd, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Trump administration's reduction of force (RIF) of the Department of Education was an effort to eliminate the Department of Education, an action that cannot be carried out without Congressional approval. This ruling resulted in: an injunction that blocks the Department from continuing its mass terminations, an order to reinstate fired employees, and a mandate to halt the President's directive to transfer functions of the Department to other agencies. This ruling was later sustained by the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. On June 6th,  the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court to pause this order, citing "irreparable harm to the Executive Branch." Meanwhile, on June 4th, Secretary Linda McMahon testified in front of the House Education and Workforce Committee,  and when asked, she said she will comply with the May 22nd ruling, as the law requires.  

The Trump Administration Sees a Victory in Suit Brought by Education Researchers

On June 3rd, a Washington, D.C. federal judge ruled against four education research trade associations, the Association for Education Finance and Policy (AEFP), the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP), the National Academy of Education (NAEd) and the National Council on Measurement in Education (NCME), who requested a preliminary injunction against the Trump administration that would have reinstated fired employees and canceled contracts within the Institute of Education Sciences, the research arm of the Department of Education. The judge concluded that using the Administrative Procedure Act was "never meant to be a bureaucratic windbreak insulating agencies from political gales."

Grant Opportunities

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

Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program

The Department of Education is issuing a notice inviting applications for fiscal year 2025 for the Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program.

This program provides grants to eligible institutions of higher education to expand educational opportunities for, and improve the academic attainment of, Hispanic students; and expand and enhance the academic offerings, program quality, and institutional stability of colleges and universities that are educating the majority of Hispanic college students. The closing date for this opportunity is July 3, 2025. Click here for additional information.

• June 6, 1:00PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• June 17 - Preservation and Access Education and Training Grant closing date
• June 20 - Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) Grant Application Due
• July 3- Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program Application Due
• Jul 11, 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• Aug 1, 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
• 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. 

For more community college news from inside the beltway, follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn, or like us Facebook.