The looming government shutdown could wreak havoc on the U.S. Education Department’s jam-packed fall plans. Student loan payments resume Sunday—the day after funding for the government will run out unless Congress acts this week—and the agency is set to start negotiations over a new plan for student loan forgiveness in a few weeks. Department staff members are also working to issue final rules on Title IX and gainful employment. Plus, a new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid is set to launch in December.
All this means that an October shutdown could cause a mess for the agency, depending on how long the funding lapse persists, though student loan payments will restart regardless of whether the government stays open. Higher education industry groups and think tanks are expecting the department to issue the gainful-employment rule this week to beat the shutdown, though the negotiated rule-making sessions and some planned regulatory actions would likely be put on hold...
The specifics of the shutdown contingency plan haven’t been released, but under the department’s recent shutdown plan from September 2021, about 90 percent of its staff would have been furloughed. A skeleton crew would remain to maintain the student loan program...
Full story at https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/student-aid-policy/2023/09/27/how-shutdown-could-affect-education-department-and.
No comments:
Post a Comment