First daughter Ivanka Trump, a White House adviser, said the White House’s top goals as Congress seeks to reauthorize the Higher Education Act include simplifying student loan repayment, expanding Pell grants for “short-term, high quality programs” and improving the transparency of student outcomes.
— Trump is spearheading the administration’s higher education plan, which is being released by the White House’s National Council for the American Worker. Read more from our Michael Stratford.
— Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) chairman of the Senate HELP Committee, said he welcomed the White House’s proposal. Alexander has said he wants to pass a new higher education law by the end of the year — a timeline the White House supports, according to a senior administration official.
— But Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the top Democrat on the panel, criticized the plan, calling it a “feeble attempt to claim the Trump administration is helping students.” She said the proposal, which includes new caps on federal PLUS loans for parents and graduate students, would “end up hurting students” and “taking billions out of the pockets of borrowers.” More on the reaction here.