Washington, D.C. – As “College Decision Day” approaches, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) today joined their colleagues in sending a letter calling on the U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to urgently address the operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that impacts millions of students in Nevada and across the country.
“We write today to ask for more clarity on how the Department plans to communicate any further delays in FAFSA processing, and how the Department intends to minimize the potential impact on students and families so they can make the most informed decision possible about their futures, including through providing prompt, clear timelines,” wrote the lawmakers.
“Any delays in financial aid processing will most impact the students that need aid most, including many students of color, students from mixed status families, students from rural backgrounds, students experiencing homelessness or in foster care, first-generation students, and students from underserved communities. For institutions to support students’ ability to make informed decisions about their future, they need clear guidance and resources from the Department immediately on any and all next steps,” they continued.
Every year, about 17 million students fill out the FAFSA form as a first step to access financial aid for higher education. In 2020, Congress passed the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act to make the federal student financial aid process more efficient and straightforward. The FAFSA Simplification Act directed the Education Department to streamline the application form and make long overdue updates to the formulas that assess a student’s financial need. According to the Education Department, the updated 2024-2025 FAFSA form will ensure 610,000 more students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive a federal Pell Grant, and 1.5 million more students will be eligible to receive a maximum Pell award. However, operational glitches and delays in the rollout of this new version of the FAFSA form has left students and colleges in limbo, and it has locked many families out of the process altogether.
“The recent announcements from the Department were a welcome first step in addressing the many challenges students, counselors, aid administrators, and relevant stakeholders are facing in accessing, submitting, and processing the new FAFSA form. But now, it is imperative that we all work together to ensure no student falls through the cracks or faces unnecessary challenges in accessing the aid they are due,” the lawmakers concluded.
Joining Cortez Masto and Rosen on the letter were 36 senators, including Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Angus King (I-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
You can read the full letter HERE.
Senator Cortez Masto and Rosen have stood up for Nevada’s students throughout her time in the Senate. Cortez Masto has introduced legislation to reform the Pell Grant and federal student loan system so that more Nevadans can access higher education without burdensome debt. Her legislation increases the amount of Pell Grants students can receive and targets student loan forgiveness to the low- and moderate-income Americans who will most benefit from this relief. Both Senators have consistently supported federal funding for Minority-Serving Institutions, including the four Hispanic-Serving Institutions in Nevada.
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