House weighs deep education funding cuts as shutdown looms

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Nov 13, 2023 View in browser   By Michael Stratford Presented by Sallie Mae® HOUSE TAKES UP EDUCATION FUNDING AS SHUTDOWN LOOMS: As House leaders wrangle votes for a stopgap measure to head off a shutdown at the end of the week, House Republicans are also turning to longer-term appropriations for education programs. The House is set to consider on the floor this week Republicans’ education funding bill that would make deep cuts to federal education programs, including drastic reductions to aid for low-income schools. — What’s in the bill: The GOP bill to fund the Education Department for the 2024 fiscal year would provide $67.4 billion of new discretionary funding, a reduction of about 15 percent compared with 2023. But the bill would also rescind more than $10 billion of funding for K-12 education that was already approved by Congress, bringing the overall cut to the Education Department to about 28 percent from fiscal 2023. — Among the most drastic proposed GOP cuts would be the $14.7 billion reduction to federal spending on low-income school districts under Title I, an 80 percent reduction. Democrats say that funding level would translate into 220,000 fewer teachers in classrooms across the country. — The bill also includes policy riders that would block a slew of Biden administration education policies, such as its overhaul of Title IX rules and new student loan repayment program known as SAVE. The bill would also end the administration’s safety net program that eliminates most penalties for borrowers who miss their monthly payment for the next year. — The GOP’s top-line funding levels for education won’t survive negotiations with the Democrat-led Senate and White House. A bipartisan proposal by Senate appropriators calls for keeping overall spending on education at roughly the same level as 2023. Biden’s budget requested a 13.6 percent increase. — But the vote on making deep cuts to funding for schools could put some moderate House Republicans in a tough spot and hand Democrats some election-year messaging fodder. — Up next: The House Rules Committee meets later today to decide which of the hundreds of amendments filed to the Labor-HHS-Education funding bill will get a vote on the floor later this week. IT’S MONDAY, NOV. 13. WELCOME TO MORNING EDUCATION. Congratulations to our Bianca Quilantan on her engagement over the weekend! Please send tips and feedback to the POLITICO education team: Michael Stratford (mstratford@politico.com), Mackenzie Wilkes (mwilkes@politico.com), Juan Perez Jr. (jperez@politico.com) and Bianca Quilantan (bquilantan@politico.com). Follow us: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro. A message from Sallie Mae®: Many financial aid offer letters fail to include the full cost of college, including tuition, books and living expenses, leaving students and families confused about how much they’ll need to pay, and overborrowing for higher education. We need to continue to help students and families make informed, responsible decisions about paying for their higher education. Learn more.   HAPPENING TODAY HAPPENING TODAY: First lady Jill Biden hosts an event at the White House honoring the Class of 2023 National Student Poets. It starts at 1 p.m. On the Hill WHAT JOHNSON’S STOPGAP PROPOSAL MEANS FOR EDUCATION: House Speaker Mike Johnson over the weekend unveiled his plan to avert a shutdown: a “laddered” continuing resolution that keeps some agencies funding through Jan. 19 and others through Feb. 2. — Education Department funding falls into that latter group. The continuing resolution would keep the agency funded at 2023 levels through Feb. 2. Mike Johnson over the weekend unveiled his plan to avert a shutdown: a “laddered” continuing resolution that keeps some agencies funding through Jan. 19 and others through Feb. 2. | Francis Chung/POLITICO — Johnson’s stopgap funding bill also includes a provision that would give the Education Department more flexibility to pay student loan companies that are managing the resumption of student loan payments this fall for tens of millions of Americans. — Johnson’s adoption of the provision is a change of direction for House Republicans. Then-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s short-term spending bill in September did not include the flexibility for the Education Department. The extra flexibility was requested by the White House in August, and it’s been part of Senate stopgap funding proposals since then. — The language allows the Education Department to spend money on loan servicing at a faster rate and reallocate other money toward its student aid administrative budget. The flexibility is aimed at staving off further potential cuts, at least immediately, to loan servicing companies that are already understaffed and struggling to keep up with the flood of borrowers who need help managing their student loans. ALSO ON THE HILL THIS WEEK: The House higher education subcommittee will hold a hearing Tuesday on campus antisemitism. Witnesses include Moshe Hauer, executive vice president of Orthodox Union; Kenneth Marcus, the education civil rights chief during the Trump administration and founder of the Brandeis Center; Stacy Burdett, an independent consultant in antisemitism prevention and response; and Sahar Tartak, a Yale University student.   GET READY FOR POLITICO’S DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/14: Russia’s war on Ukraine … China’s threats to Taiwan … a war in Gaza. The U.S. is under increasing pressure to deter, defend and fight in more ways — but not everyone agrees how. Join POLITICO's 3rd Annual Defense Summit on November 14 for exclusive interviews and expert discussions on global security and the U.S.'s race to bolster alliances and stay ahead of adversaries. Explore critical topics, including international conflicts, advanced technology, spending priorities and political dynamics shaping global defense strategies. Don’t miss these timely and important discussions. REGISTER HERE.     Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories. Higher Education INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ENROLLMENT REBOUNDS AGAIN: The number of foreign students who enrolled at U.S. campuses jumped 12 percent during the 2022-2023 after increasing 4 percent the prior year, according to new data being released this morning. — About 1,057,188 international students studied in the United States, up from about 948,500 in the 2021-22 academic year, according to the new report from the Institute of International Education. But the number is still below pre-pandemic levels. About 1,075,496 international students studied in the U.S. during the 2019-2020 academic year. — “The U.S. continues to be the top destination for international students, and this year's 12 percent increase is the fastest growth rate in more than 40 years,” said Mirka Martel, IIE's head of research. "This year-on-year change of 108,000 students is the largest in Open Doors history.” — All academic levels saw an increase in their international student enrollment for the first time since the 2014-2015 school year. Graduate student enrollment hit a new record with about 467,027 international graduate students at U.S. colleges and universities, a growth rate of 21 percent. And undergraduate enrollment increased by 1 percent for the first time in five years. — China remained the top country for sending students to the U.S. in 2022-23, with 289,526 students on U.S. campuses. That number is down from 290,086 in 2021-22, which was already a 9 percent decline from the academic year before. India, the second largest sending country, broke its record for students sent at about 268,923 international students in 2022-23, an increase of 35 percent. India sent 199,182 international students to study abroad in 2021-22. — Bianca has the full details here.   A message from Sallie Mae®:   Report Roundup — National Student Legal Defense Network is out with a new report today on “How the U.S. Department of Education Forfeited State-Level Oversight of Higher Education.”   JOIN US ON 11/15 FOR A TALK ON OUR SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: As the sustainability movement heats up, so have calls for a national standard for clean fuel. Join POLITICO on Nov. 15 in Washington D.C. as we convene leading officials from the administration, key congressional committees, states and other stakeholders to explore the role of EVs, biofuels, hydrogen and other options in the clean fuel sector and how evolving consumer behaviors are influencing sustainable energy practices. REGISTER HERE.     Syllabus — This school board made news for banning books. Voters flipped it to majority Democrat: NPR. — The lasting legacy of the education culture wars may be a familiar one: school choice: The Boston Globe. — How millions of borrowers got $127 billion in student loans canceled: The New York Times. A message from Sallie Mae®: Between different types of loans, grants, and work-study aid, financial aid offer letters can be confusing for students and families trying to understand the true cost of college. Learn how creating simple, standardized financial aid offers can help students and families responsibly plan and pay for college.     Follow us on Twitter Delece Smith-Barrow @DeleceWrites Michael Stratford @mstratford Bianca Quilantan @biancaquilan Juan Perez Jr. @PerezJr Mackenzie Wilkes @macwilkes   Follow us

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