November 9,  2026

Leading the News this Week

Uniform Guidance/EDGAR National Week of Action Begins Today!

The Trump Administration's proposed changes to the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) would allow the Secretary of Education to terminate federal grants “for convenience” and alter multiyear award funding decisions. This would ultimately politicize the grantmaking process and move away from current merit-based structures.

ACCT and our partner organizations urge you to take action with Congress this week (November 9-13) and speak out against the proposed changes. Our National Week of Action materials can be found here and include instructions for contacting your members of Congress, contact rosters for the House and Senate, phone call and email templates, and materials to share with Congressional staff, including grant data by state, district, and program.

Read on for more top federal news affecting community colleges.

News in Higher Education

HAPPENING TOMORROW: Midterm Election Results: Impacts on Congress, the President, and Higher Education

Please join ACCT and our partners at Penn Hill Group TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 10, from 12:30 to 1:30 PM ET as they dive deep into the 2026 midterm elections and their potential impacts on the future of higher education. The election outcomes are set to shape government funding priorities, ACCT backed legislation, and other Congressional activity through the last half of President Trump's term. Click here to register.

Child Care Grants End, Impacting Campuses and Students

Did your CCAMPIS program end this year? Take action with Congress now! ACCT has developed an email template for contacting members of Congress to encourage support for the CCAMPIS program. The message asks that the final bipartisan FY27 spending bill this year include language to continue funding down the FY26 competition slate in score order, while saving some funding for a new FY27 competition. As always, please coordinate any outreach with your college's leadership, and CC PublicPolicy@acct.org.

The Department of Education (ED) announced 148 expected CCAMPIS grants over the summer, but only 40 awards were issued, despite 79 applicants receiving perfect proposal scores. The loss of funding for on-campus childcare centers has forced student parents at impacted community colleges to drop courses and take on increased caregiving burdens, posing a barrier to persistence and increasing time to degree. Demand for on-campus childcare has always outpaced supply, and the access gap is only set to increase without necessary CCAMPIS funding. The Washington Post covered the impacts of this on several community colleges around the country. Read the article here.

What New Leadership Could Mean for Higher Education

With Democrats taking control of both chambers of Congress in January, there have been several new developments in Senate and House leadership for the 120^th Congress. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) recently announced his intention to run for Speaker of the House, while House Minority Whip Katherine Clark launched her bid to serve as the next House Majority Leader. And in the Senate, current Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced his bid to run for Senate Majority Leader.

This new Congress has the opportunity to confront several higher education issues on the table – including Title IX, the integrity of Civil Rights enforcement, the dismantling of the Department of Education (ED), research funding, and more. The dismantling of ED has drawn significant scrutiny from Democrats in the past, with Rep. Bobby Scott (VA) calling the transfer of ED’s functions to other departments an “abdication of the federal government’s responsibility to students.” A Democrat-controlled House and Senate might investigate these transfers and inter-agency agreements, as well as how these transfers have affected student aid administration, civil rights complaints, and institutions’ dealings with the Department.

Other possible areas that may see significant change include student visa revocations, accreditation requirements (i.e., requiring institutions to show proof of “intellectual diversity”), federal loan limits, and requests for data regarding international enrollment, accreditation, and more. For more information on key issue areas, as well as how to respond to these changes, click here. 

Students with Discharged IDR Loans Now Face Huge Tax Bills

Student loan borrowers whose debts were cancelled through income-driven repayment (IDR) plans can expect to see their next federal tax bill jump by approximately $6,000-$12,000.

Under the pandemic-era provision America Rescue Plan Act, discharged student loan debt would not count as income on federal tax returns. However, because Congress allowed the provision to expire, IDR loans that were discharged in 2026 and beyond will appear on borrowers’ tax bills.  These tax bills would hit middle- and low-income students and families particularly hard; they are also expected to disproportionately affect borrowers from the South.

Last November, a coalition of Democratic Senators called upon the Trump administration to exempt cancelled IDR loans from federal taxation. 

Education Department Proposes Broader Priorities for Future Grants

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) proposed a new rewrite of the priorities it may use to judge future discretionary grant competitions, emphasizing student parents, apprenticeships, and more. The proposal would amend four sets of supplemental priorities adopted in 2025 and 2026; comments are due on December 7^th.

The proposal extends the ED's definition of education choice beyond schools and scholarships and would allow future competitions to favor projects that expand dual or concurrent enrollment, help student parents, promote apprenticeship and technical programs, and add technical, trade, and vocational schools to the choice priority. Once a revised priority is made final, grant writers will be able to determine which designs might receive a preference, extra points, or an invitation to apply.

Snapshots

• Annual Report: Trends in Student Aid (College Board)
• Leading Colleges and Universities in a “Back to the States” Era: Recommendations from a Bipartisan Summit of Leaders and Students (American Enterprise Institute).

This Fall: Invite Your Members of Congress to Campus!

ACCT's Toolkit to Host Congressional Visits

With dozens of new members of Congress set to join in January, community college leaders have an optimal opportunity to establish, strengthen, or renew relationships with new and continuing lawmakers that represent their campuses and advocate for community college legislative priorities.

Take a look at ACCT’s new Toolkit on How to Host Your Member of Congress, which offers strategies to strengthen relationships with congressional lawmakers. On ACCT Now, read the blog, Community College Advocacy Continues All Year Round: Invite Your Member of Congress to Meet Back Home!

Remember -- you can use this time to:

• Invite your Member of Congress to visit your community college.
• Meet your Member of Congress at the congressional district office.
• Attend a congressional town hall, parade, BBQ, or other event that features your Member of Congress.
• Host a nonpartisan candidate forum, town hall, or tour with your Member of Congress or candidates seeking election for that congressional seat. If you invite a candidate that is not yet in office, you must invite all candidates for that seat and provide equal time, without endorsement.
• Invite your Member of Congress to speak at a program graduation or annual commencement.

Please contact the ACCT Government Relations team with information and pictures of your visit: publicpolicy@acct.org. We would like to uplift your member of Congress’s engagement with your community college to inspire others.

Grant Opportunities

Please view ACCT's new resource highlighting top competitive grant opportunities for community colleges. These below are the top highlights:

Ethical, Legal and Social Implications (ELSI) Small Research Grant (R03 Clinical Trial Optional)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) are accepting proposals for small research grants on the ethical, legal, and social implications of human genetics and genomics. The NIH is seeking to fund small projects (i.e. those with a single investigator) which directly involve key stakeholders in single or mixed methods research. Funding can be used for the collection of preliminary data or the analysis of existing secondary data, and particular interest is paid to projects engaging in normative or conceptual analyses, including legal, economic, anthropological, philosophical, and/or historical analyses of existing or emerging issues in the field of human genomics. The award ceiling is $50,000 and the application deadline is Monday, November 16, 2026. Learn more and apply here. 

Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program 2026

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is accepting proposals for its Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program. This grant aims to facilitate multi-state partnerships to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through competitively funded initiatives and projects. The grant is intended to address regional and/or national specialty crop issues, including, but not limited to: food safety, plant pests and disease, research, crops-specific projects addressing common issues, and marketing and promotion. USDA anticipates about 20 awards ranging from $250,000 to $1,000,000. Cost sharing is required, and applicants must demonstrate 25%. The application deadline is Friday, December 4, 2026. Learn more and apply here.

Landmarks of American History and Culture and Summer Institutes

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Lifelong Learning is accepting proposals for the Landmarks of American History and Culture and Summer Institutes grant programs. This grant provides institutions of higher education with funding to design and host residential professional development summer programs for faculty to develop their scholarship and teaching abilities in specific humanities subjects. Successful applicants will design and host the same program in the summers of 2028 and 2029, recruiting new participants each summer. NEH estimates 17 expected awards – proposed 1-week summer programs are eligible for up to $300,000 in funding; 2-week programs are eligible for up to $410,000 in funding; 3-week programs are eligible for up to $460,000 in funding. The deadline is Wednesday, December 9, 2026. Learn more and apply here.  

Collections Stewardship

The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Division of Collections & Infrastructure is currently accepting proposals for the Collections Stewardship, a program that aims to advance the preservation and availability of physical and digital collections crucial for research, education, and public engagement in the humanities. Projects may include conservations and preservation, digitization and description, enhancement of existing digital resources, and preservation services & education training. All public and private institutions of higher education are eligible to apply. NEH anticipates around 50 awards ranging from $50,000 to $500,000. Awards are available in three tiers: tier 1 consists of planning projects that range from $50,000 to $100,000; tier 2 consists of individual implementation projects ranging from $100,001 to $350,000; and tier 3 consists of implementation projects involving more than one organization ranging from $350,001 to $500,000. The application deadline is Tuesday, December 15, 2026. Learn more and apply here.

• November 9 - November 13 -- Uniform Guidance/EDGAR National Week of Action
• Tuesday, November 10, 12:30-1:30 PM ET - Midterm Election Results: Impacts on Congress, the President, and Higher Education Webinar
• Tuesday, November 10, 2-3 PM ET - FSA FVT/GE, STATS Webinar #2
• Monday, November 16  - ELSI Small Research Grant Application Due
• Friday, December 4, 1-2 PM ET - ACCT LAW Live
• Friday, December 4 - Specialty Crop Multi-State Grant Program Application Due
• Wednesday, December 9 - Landmarks of American History and Culture and Summer Institutes Application Due
• Tuesday, December 15 - Collections Stewardship Application Due
• Sunday-Wednesday, February 7-10, 2027 - 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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