EXCLUSIVE — Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) are calling for an investigation into the Biden administration‘s “botched” rollout of updates to the student aid program.
Cassidy, ranking member of the Senate Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and Foxx, chairwoman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office on Wednesday seeking an inquiry into the Education Department’s implementation of updates to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program.
In the letter, which was obtained by the Washington Examiner, Republican lawmakers criticized the rollout of the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020, which was due Jan. 1, but was delayed, causing financial stress to families. Cassidy was joined by 16 of his Senate colleagues, and Foxx was joined by 10 members of the House.
“The Department of Education’s delayed and botched roll-out of FAFSA is causing a lot of stress and anxiety for students trying to find out what schools they can afford to attend,” Cassidy told the Washington Examiner. “The Biden administration had over three years to prepare but prioritized their student loan schemes over performing the basic tasks mandated by law and essential for American families and students.”
According to the letter, which was sent to U.S. Comptroller General Gene L. Dodaro, the Education Department made the application available sporadically, making it accessible for 30 minutes on Dec. 30, one hour on Dec. 31, and then inconsistently until Jan. 6, when it went live.
Normally, the applications for student aid begin October 1, but the three-month delay has forced students and families into uncertainty on financial aid because schools could not present clear offers as to how much aid the students could receive — often a major consideration for students who want to attend college.
As the Wall Street Journal reported, some students who applied for early decision admissions may not get financial aid offers until after some early decision application deadlines pass in March.
“Repeated delays from the Department of Education in rolling out the new FAFSA have left students and schools in limbo for the upcoming school year,” the lawmakers wrote. “All these challenges and delays may cause some students — particularly low-income students who are most dependent on federal aid — to give up and not pursue postsecondary education.”
Delays in the process had also caused school counselors to postpone financial aid information sessions, only to have the school counselors rush to navigate the new process now, according to the lawmakers.
Nearly 18 million students submit FAFSA applications every year seeking access to federal grants, student loans, and work-study programs. The FAFSA Simplification Act sought to ease the process, lowering the number of questions on the application from more than 100 often to just 18 for many applicants.
The lawmakers are seeking information on what challenges applicants faced during the FAFSA award cycle, as well as the Education Department’s actions to remedy the issues and provide sufficient information on how to fill out the new FAFSA forms.
“Beyond the initial delays, it is also unclear whether Education is providing students and schools with sufficient information and guidance on the new FAFSA form and process,” the lawmakers wrote. “The goal of FAFSA simplification was in part to make the whole process easier for students and their families. … However, initial feedback from students and schools indicates that Education’s current outreach efforts are falling short.”
The criticism of the FAFSA rollout comes as the Biden administration recently announced it was fast-tracking its student loan debt cancellation plan using a controversial income-driven scheme that critics say saddles taxpayers, who often do not have college degrees themselves, with the debt.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
When the numbers came down, it said 76,000 borrowers would get their debt canceled to the tune of $5 billion placed at the feet of the American taxpayers.
The first attempt to cancel student debt was struck down by the Supreme Court.