Major Update

• Trump Administration Releases FY 2021 Budget Proposal; Education Funds Request Reduced
  Earlier this month, the Trump Administration released its FY2021 budget proposal request. The efforts specifically relating to education were positioned by the Administration as a way to reduce the “outsized” Federal role in education, and “return control over decisions to states, teachers, parents, and students.” While the request increases funding for Career and Technical Education programs by $900 million, the overall cuts of approximately 8% to the Department of Education’s budget allocations amounts to a total decrease of $5.6 billion in funding and outlays. One of the programs which was removed completely was the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, and financial aid programs, and on the whole, these and other proposed cuts critics say would hit the lowest income and most needy students. Many believe, as has been the case with past presidential budget requests, that this effort is largely dead in the water and will not go far. Congress recently passed measures to increase funding to education programs by $1.3 billion, including supporting increased maximum allowance for Pell Grants, which shows a trend of additional spending on education through bipartisan bills which have passed.