Senate Republicans Propose $29 Billion for Higher Ed – Inside Higher Ed
Senate Republicans in their opening bid for negotiations with Democrats over the next coronavirus aid package proposed giving colleges and universities an additional $29 billion in aid, which is a figure American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten called “woefully inadequate.”
Colleges also could get part of another $5 billion for governors, who could also use the money on early childhood and K-12 education, “based on the needs of the state.” Unlike the last relief package, the CARES Act, institutions would not be required to give half their aid to students through emergency grants.
However, the proposal also cuts in half the amount of aid that can be received by institutions that had to pay a federal tax on endowments in 2019, and only allows them to spend the money on aid to students. That provision comes after Education Secretary Betsy DeVos criticized universities with large endowments for taking CARES Act aid.