Day 34 of the Government Shutdown, RISE Committee Continues with Rulemaking, Upcoming Senate HELP Hearings, NLS Registration Now OPEN
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November 3, 2025
Leading the News this Week
Today is the 34th day of the government shutdown, putting this government shutdown on track to become the longest. The longest government shutdown spanned from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, which spanned a total of 35 days. For more information, continue to the next section.
News in Higher Education
Judges Rule Continuation of SNAP During Government Shutdown
On November 1st, recipients of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) were to stop seeing their benefits as a result of the government shutdown. Two judges ruled that the Trump administration must utilize emergency funds to continue funding the program during the month of November. However, these funds do not cover the full cost of running the program during this month. The judges indicated that funds from another source can fill the funding gap. An idea that the Trump administration has opted out of. As such, partial benefits will be doled out to states. Meanwhile, it will be some time before SNAP recipients will see their benefits, as states must recalculate households' new benefit amounts.
RISE Committee Continues with Rulemaking Today
In the midst of a government shutdown, the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee is continuing the work of negotiated rulemaking on the changes to student loan programs as dictated in H.R. 1, the "One Big Beautiful Bill." Conversations are still ongoing on which programs would be considered professional, for which students would have an aggregate loan cap of $200,000, and which would be graduate with an aggregate loan cap of $100,000.
Upcoming Senate HELP Hearings
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) has two hearings this week, taking place in the higher education and workforce development space. Below are the details for each.
Registered Apprenticeship: Scaling the Workforce for the Future: Wednesday, November 5th, 10:00 AM ET.
Reforming Financial Transparency in Higher Education: Thursday, November 6th, 10:00 AM ET.
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.
- November 5, 10:00 AM ET: Registered Apprenticeship: Scaling the Workforce for the Future
- November 6, 10:00 AM ET: Reforming Financial Transparency in Higher Education:
- November 7, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
- December 5, 01:00 PM ET: LAW Live Webinar
- 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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