Will Push to Reopen Threaten Aid? – Inside Higher Ed
As Congress mulls another coronavirus relief package, higher education lobbyists worry any aid will be focused on reopening and ignore billions in financial losses by colleges.
The Trump administration has stopped short of saying it wants to withhold funding from colleges and universities that do not reopen for the fall term, as President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos have threatened with K-12 schools.
But some higher education lobbyists are concerned the administration’s push to get students back into classrooms could make it harder to get funding in Congress’s next coronavirus aid package to help colleges deal with the financial hit they’re taking from the pandemic.
When the Senate returns next week from its July 4 break, Congress will begin racing to reach a deal on the next aid package in three weeks before leaving again until after Labor Day.
Lobbyists are concerned that the focus will be on limiting aid for colleges only to help them reopen, which would be a blow to institutions that are dealing with lost revenues and additional costs, as well as significant cuts in state funding in many states.