November 18, 2025

LAW ALERT

Today, the U.S. Department of Education announced six additional interagency agreements (IAAs) to move contract program functions to other federal departments. The Department heralded this announcement as the next steps in fulfilling the President’s executive order to dismantle the Department.

The six agreements are with the four following agencies:

• Department of Labor contracted to manage the programs of Office of Elementary and Secondary Education plus the Office of Postsecondary Education
• Department of Health and Human Services contracted to manage Childcare Access Means Parents in Schools (CCAMPIS) and Foreign Medical Accreditation
• Department of State contracted to manage the programs of International Education and Foreign Language Studies
• Department of Interior contracted to manage Indian Education programs.

These agreements come following the May announcement to move of the Office of Adult, Career, and Technical Education to the Department of Labor. That interagency agreement led to a lawsuit. While the injunction that prevented the work was lifted and the transition began in October, the actual ruling as to whether this action constitutes moving Department of Education programs outside of its purview has not yet been decided. We anticipate further court cases related to today’s announcements given the scale of transfer across these six agreements.

ACCT maintains its position that the federal government must continue to fund and administer programs that support community colleges at a minimum funding level as appropriated in FY24. In March, we called on Congress specifically to continue funding for federal student aid including Pell Grants, CCAMPIS, SIP, TRIO, GEAR UP, and minority serving institutions. Community colleges already operate on shoestring budgets with low per student costs. These federal programs allow students to pay their tuition bills, provide institutions with additional capacity building to respond to their regions’ changing needs, and make possible additional student supports that are vital to meeting all students where they are and helping them on the pathway to success. We will continue to advocate for their funding in the FY26 appropriations process and for their fair and timely administration to students and campuses regardless of where the programs are housed.

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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