Another continuing resolution pushes FY 24 education funding decision to March 22

Higher Ed Dive

Kara Arundel

March 1, 2024

Dive Brief:

• Congress has delayed — for the fourth time — a decision to finalize the fiscal year 2024 budget by extending a continuing resolution for allocations to the U.S. Department of Education and several other agencies from March 8 to March 22. President Joe Biden signed the legislation Friday.

• In a 320-99 vote in the House and a 77-13 vote in the Senate on Thursday, Congress also moved a March 1 deadline to March 8 for about a half-dozen other agencies, including the Agriculture and Transportation departments. Had Congress not acted, a government shutdown for those agencies would have begun Saturday.

• The continuing resolution includes a measure that amends the FAFSA Simplification Act to prevent a formula change that would have expanded the Pell Grant program for low-income college students. The Education Department had announced the change just this week.

Dive Insight:

In a Tuesday announcement, the Education Department said it was updating how it calculates the aid students will receive to fully align with the FAFSA Simplification Act. That technical change was expected to allow more students access to Pell Grants in the 2024–25 award year.

After Thursday’s House vote, Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Va., ranking member of the Committee for Education and the Workforce, pushed back against the congressional action. “Now, as a result of this legislation, next year, fewer students will have access to the Pell Grant, and many students who do receive the Pell Grant will receive less financial assistance.”

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