Stalled UC Money

Blog readers will likely have seen the news that President Trump signed executive orders supposedly putting into effect continuation of unemployment insurance and other elements. Although it is not clear he can legally make such a decision, it is also unclear who will want to challenge the action. In any case, the result is to stall negotiations over such things as aid to state governments such as California's. As blog readers will know, the current state budget has trigger features that would increase funding for UC if sufficient money arrives from Washington. Blog readers who have listened to the Regents' Health Services Committee sessions we have archived will also know that the UC health system is hoping for additional funding to compensate for the lost revenue and increased costs related to the coronavirus situation. All of this potential funding is now stalled:

From Inside Higher Ed: Executive orders President Donald Trump signed this weekend may bring a little help to Americans, including continuing to excuse many student loan borrowers from making payments through the rest of the year. But the unilateral move to deal with a handful of the problems the nation is facing during the coronavirus pandemic does not include help for the nation's colleges and universities, which are seeking more than $110 billion in federal help the industry says it needs to stabilize difficult financial situations, reopen campuses safely or to protect them from coronavirus-related lawsuits.

And higher education lobbyists say they are worried that by dealing with some of the most pressing issues, like continuing to give the unemployed slightly larger federal checks each week, Trump's orders -- if they survive legal challenges -- will take away some of the steam to push a divided Congress to pass a larger relief bill with additional aid to higher education, as well as the protection from lawsuits colleges want when, as is expected, people contract COVID-19 when campuses reopen.

It remained unclear if negotiations on a relief package would continue, with Democrats and Republicans on Sunday news shows blaming each other for the stalled talks...

Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/08/10/trumps-executive-orders-could-dim-prospects-more-federal-aid-colleges