After several hours debating the FY 2024 Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations bill, which also contained hundreds of amendments, the House of Representatives punted a final vote on the bill until after the Thanksgiving break. The underlying bill provides $64 billion less than FY 2023 across all agencies, and $22 billion less for the Department of Education. 

For the student aid programs, the bill level funds the Pell Grant maximum, but eliminates funding for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Federal Work-Study.

In the preparation for this bill, NAICU sent a letter to the Rules Committee to raise concerns about the deep funding cuts in the legislation and the litany of amendments under consideration that would be damaging to students and their choice of institution if enacted. The Rules Committee did not change the funding levels, but many of the amendments were not made in order or failed on the floor.

The Biden Administration signaled its opposition to the bill in its official Statement of Administration Position, which cited level funding the Pell Grant and the elimination of funding for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and Federal Work-Study among the reasons for issuing a veto threat.

The education spending bill is not the first to be delayed for a final vote this fall as the House continues to struggle to whip enough votes for passage. The dilemma is that Democrats oppose the bills because they cut funding below last year’s spending levels, and a group of Republicans oppose the bills because they do not cut funding deep enough. How the House resolves this standoff will indicate how it can take the next step of working with the Senate to finalize FY 2024 spending.

With passage of a continuing resolution that keeps the government open well into 2024, this will be a top priority for the new year.