Members of the Student Aid Alliance (SAA) sent
a letter Sept. 29 to the Department of Education and Office of Management
and Budget urging them to provide robust support for federal student aid in the FY 2025 budget proposal.
“Now, more than ever, the programs that help low- and
middle-income students access and succeed in postsecondary education need additional
funding to ensure that students with disrupted educations during the pandemic
can pursue their higher education goals,” the letter reads.
The letter, which was signed by 28 organizations, encourages
the Biden administration to request doubling the maximum Pell Grant and calling
for significant increases to Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity
Grants (SEOG) and Federal Work-Study (FWS).
For FY 2024 appropriations, which Congress now has until
mid-November to complete after reaching an agreement on a short-term
spending bill over the weekend, the Senate Committee on Appropriations approved
harmful cuts to FWS and SEOG, and the House is proposing eliminating the
programs altogether. The SAA features a Contact Congress
tool that can be used to let legislators know the importance of providing
adequate funding for these programs for this year and beyond.
The SAA letter also requests increases for TRIO, the Gaining
Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, and the Graduate
Assistance in Areas of National Need program.
“We strongly believe that this support will enable low- and middle-income
students to succeed on their postsecondary education journey,” the letter
reads.
The SAA is a
coalition of 40 higher education organizations united in support for federal
student aid.