November 10, 2025

Leading the News this Week

Today is the 41st day of the government shutdown. Last night, the Senate voted for cloture, a procedural vote to end debate and proceed to a formal chamber vote. Last night's vote signals that the Senate has the 60 votes required to reopen the government. Read into the next section for additional details.

News in Higher Education

Government Shutdown Appears to be Approaching an End

Last night, the Senate took a procedural vote that sets up the negotiated Continuing Resolution (CR) to have a full chamber vote. With 8 Democratic Senators expressing support for this negotiated CR, it is expected that it will clear the Senate today, and then it will be sent to the House this week.

Here are some highlights of this CR:

• Reopens the government
• Funds the government at fiscal year 2025's levels through January 30, 2026, except for departments covered by the Military construction and Veterans’ Affairs, Agriculture, and the Legislative Branch appropriations bills, which would be funded through September 30, 2026.
• Funds the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through September 30, 2026
• Prevents the Trump administration from conducting reductions in force (RIFs) from the reopening of the government to January 30, 2026

Grant Notice: FIPSE

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. 

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

RISE Committee Reached Consensus

Late last week, the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee reached consensus on more than a dozen provisions found in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill. The main topic of conversation was delineating which higher education programs would be considered as graduate programs and which would be professional programs, as professional degree-seeking students would have an aggregate loan cap of $200,000, and graduate students would have an aggregate loan cap of $100,000. Limited conversation took place on institutionally determined loan limits, as regulations of this provision are stated in the One Big Beautiful Bill.

In the coming weeks, there will be a notice of proposed rulemaking from the Department of Education, which will undergo a public comment period before the final rule is implemented.

Case Study on CCAMPIS at North Central Michigan College

The Child Care Access Means Parents in School program is critical for student-parent success. This case study from North Central Michigan College (NCMC) highlights the personal stories of students who rely on CCAMPIS as well as NCMC's methods for further expanding its support for student parents. Click here for the full piece.

Make sure to check out his piece as well as the CCAMPIS Case Study in the Borough of Manhattan Community College, both in the ACCT Now section below.

NLS Registration Now OPEN

The National Legislative Summit (NLS) is the premier community college advocacy event in Washington, DC, bringing together more than 1,000 community college leaders from February 8 to 11, 2026. The event shines a spotlight on the importance of our nation’s community colleges for Congress and the Administration.

NLS participants will hear from members of U.S. Congress, administration officials, leading political analysts, and other high-profile speakers about the current climate in D.C., recent elections, and legislative issues impacting community colleges.

Participants also have the opportunity to network with fellow community college leaders and meet with their U.S. representatives in Congress to advocate for their support for community colleges and their students. Click here to register.

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.

• November 20, 2025 02:00 PM ET: Preparing for Workforce Pell: The Role of States and Governors in Implementation
• December 3, 2025: Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education Due
• December 5, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
• December 11: 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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