Less than 1 percent of federal emergency cash for college students doled out – Politico
There’s still incomplete guidance from the department for colleges on how they will specifically be allowed to distribute the money to students.
The Education Department says just $6 million of $6.28 billion in emergency aid for college students has reached campuses so far, and officials are trading accusations with college leaders over the slow pace of a rollout that’s left students waiting for help.
The money is intended to directly assist students for help with needs like housing or food, under the $2 trillion economic rescue package signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27. Weeks later, there’s still incomplete guidance from the department for colleges on how they will specifically be allowed to distribute the money to students, even as billions from other programs in the rescue legislation like small business loans and rebate checks are in recipients’ hands.
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos announced on April 9 that she was moving to “immediately distribute” the $6.28 billion. It was the first tranche of the nearly $31 billion in overall education aid included in the stimulus law that the Trump administration announced was available.