Community College Month, Reconciliation by Memorial Day Faces Challenges, Earmarks for FY 2026, Head Start Regional Offices Were Shut Down
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April 3, 2025
Leading the News this Week
Welcome to April, Community College Month! This is a time to reach out and remind your elected officials about the importance community colleges have in your communities. Please check out ACCT's Community College Month toolkit to help you advocate for community colleges all month long!
News in Higher Education
Reminder: LAW is Going Live
Please join ACCT's Government Relations Team tomorrow, April 4th, at 1:00 PM ET as they unpack updates in the Federal government, including the latest on the reconciliation process and President Donald Trump's executive order to shut down the Department of Education. Click here to register.
Reconciliation by Memorial Day Faces Challenges
The goal of finalizing the reconciliation process by Memorial Day is becoming less attainable. First, House Speaker Mike Johnson (LA-4) sent lawmakers home for the rest of the week after he attempted to block fellow GOP representative Anna Paulina Luna (FL-13) from bringing legislation to the floor which would allow proxy voting for members of Congress who are new or expectant parents to the floor.
Second, House Budget Chair, Jodey Arrington (TX-19), has stated that the House will most likely reject the Senate budget blueprint which allows for $5.3 trillion in tax cuts; the House version plans for $4.5 in tax cuts. This difference creates a delay in creating identical plans between both chambers.
Finally, Senate Republicans intend to bypass the parliamentarian and have Senate Budget Committee Chair, Lindsey Graham (SC), decide that the proposed tax cuts would be calculated as costing nothing as this is considered an extension of existing tax policy. Democrats are expected to push back on this decision so that the Senate parliamentarian would have the final word.
Earmarks for FY 2026
On Wednesday, House Appropriations Chair, Tom Cole (OK-4), issued guidance to House members on submitting requests for programmatic requests (which are requests for funding support to federal programs) and Community Projects Funding, also known as earmarks, for fiscal year 2026. House members can start submitting their requests on April 14th with most submission deadlines being in May. However, individual House Members will have earlier deadlines for requests from constituents to review and finalize their requests. Request forms should be found on their official website. Please reach out to your member of Congress to submit your community project request(s). ACCT plans to share their FY 26 Appropriations programmatic priorities in the coming week and will urge members to ask for support on those programs as well.
Head Start Regional Offices Were Shut Down
On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services shut down 5 regional Head Start offices, which offer guidance, support, technical assistance, and oversight of local Head Start programs. This can have an impact on community colleges that have Head Start centers on campus. Please let us know if you see any disruptions in your programs as a result of any of these changes.
Department of Education Announces Negotiated Rulemaking
Today the Department of Education invited the public to offer feedback on higher education regulations and federal assistance programs, as well as provide ideas to improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program, the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) Repayment plan, and the Income-Contingent Repayment (ICR) plan.
The Department plans to invite public comment by hosting two public hearings. An in-person meeting will take place on April 29, 2025, and a virtual meeting will be on May 1, 2025. Written comments submitted through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at Regulations. gov will be accepted. Those requiring accommodations can contact regulationshelpdesk@gsa.gov or by phone at 1-866-498-2945. The deadline for public comment is 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. More information can be found here.
Higher Ed Dive reported that the majority of unionized workers laid off by the Department of Education came from the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA), the Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and the Institute of Education Sciences (IES).
- April 4, 1:00PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
- April 29 - Public comment for the Department of Education's Rulemaking Process (In-Person Hearing)
- April 29, 11:59PM ET - Head Start/Early Head Start Grant Application Due
May 1 - Public comment for the Department of Education's Rulemaking Process (Virtual Hearing)
May 2, 1:00PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
May 23 - Deadline for ACCT's Leadership Congress Presentation Proposals
- June 6, 1:00PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
- June 20 - Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education (FIRE) Grant Application Due
- Jul 11, 2025, 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
- Aug 1, 2025, 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
- Sep 5, 202,5 01:00 PM ET - LAW Live Webinar
- October 22 - 25 - ACCT Leadership Congress
Outreach Efforts
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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, please email publicpolicy@acct.org with the subject line "Request for Federal Update Session."
Have a Question?
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