UPCEA joined with ACE and 35 other organizations yesterday to send a letter to the House Committee on Appropriations as they were approving spending bills for the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education for fiscal year 2020. Today, the House Committee on Appropriations approved its bill, allocating $75.9 billion to the Department of Education (ED). The measure would increase the maximum Pell Grant award by $150 and boost funding for the National Institutes of Health by $2 billion, among the overall increases for student aid, higher education programs, and research.  We joined with ACE and 35 other higher education associations sent a letter to the committee in advance of the vote, expressing support and noting that the funding levels, if enacted, would “have a profoundly positive impact on the millions of college students who rely on federal financial aid to afford college.”

“The funding levels provided in this bill would, if enacted, have a profoundly positive impact on the millions of college students who rely on federal financial aid to afford college. The bill provides a $150 increase in the maximum Pell Grant, an increase that allows the grant to keep pace with inflation,” the groups wrote. “The bill also recognizes the vital role biomedical research plays in improving the quality of life for all Americans, while also strengthening our economy and global competitiveness, by providing a $2 billion increase in funding for research at the National Institutes of Health. ”

The $75.9 billion for ED includes $24.9 billion for federal student aid programs ($492 million above FY 2019) and $2.7 billion for higher education programs ($431 million above FY 2019). (Click here for a detailed breakdown of these totals.)

This legislation is a starting point​ for negotiations for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1. The Senate Appropriations Committee has yet to approve any spending bills.

Click here to read our letter to Chairwoman Lowey and Ranking Member Granger.