WASHINGTON – Education and the Workforce Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) released the following statement regarding the U.S. Department of Education’s announcement that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) will finally be released:
“Let’s be clear about this: the FAFSA form is not 10 days early; it’s going to be more than 50 days late. As a former professor, I can tell you I would not be giving any student a passing grade if he turned in an assignment nearly two months after the due date. Nonetheless, this is an important first step, and the Education Department now needs to ensure that the processing of applications is accurate, that missing capabilities are implemented quickly, and that future applicants never have to deal with this sort of botched rollout.”
BACKGROUND:
On November 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FAFSA Deadline Act, authored by U.S. Representative Erin Houchin (R-IN). The bill passed the Senate on November 21 by unanimous consent and now awaits President Biden’s signature.
The legislation requires the Education Department to make the FAFSA form available to students each year on October 1.
Earlier this year, Chairwoman Foxx and U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, blasted the Biden administration for illegally obstructing the GAO investigation into the administration’s failure to implement the new FAFSA program.
On July 11, Chairwoman Foxx, Senator Cassidy, and colleagues sent a letter demanding an update on the Office of Inspector General’s investigation into Biden’s botched FAFSA rollout.
