The Upcoming Election Will Determine the Future of FAFSA
The presidential election is a critical day for the Department of Education (ED) and the future of FAFSA. A future that will be shaped not only by the winner of the presidency but also by control of the Senate.
A Trump Win
Donald Trump has indicated his intention to eliminate the department should he be successful in the election.
Without eliminating ED, Mr. Trump would be poised to restrict the reach of ED.
One of the contributing factors to ED’s poor implementation of the FAFSA Simplification Act was working with a reduced staff and budget cuts that happened when Mr. Trump was in office.
A second term could bring new challenges for ED.
A Harris Win and the Balance of Power
If Kamala Harris is elected the ED will most likely be safe.
The Harris website has a few broad strokes of her higher education plan.
Winning the presidency is not the only challenge Ms. Harris faces. If she is elected president but the Democrats lose control of the Senate, how will the new president form her Cabinet?
It is customary for incoming presidents to replace most, if not all, of the outgoing president’s Cabinet appointees. In the current contentious political environment, it would likely be difficult for quick and easy appointee approval from the Senate.
A possible exception to this dilemma might be, Education Secretary, Miguel Cardona.
Republican members of Congress have been extremely critical of the handling of the revamped FAFSA. Publicly they have expressed concern for their constituents who depend upon Federal Student Aid (FSA) to enable their children to access higher education. The many deficiencies of the new application and its processing were recounted during Congressional committee hearings.
Will the posture of these members change depending on who wins?
If elected, will Ms. Harris stay the course for the sake of safety or risk an uncertain outcome to improve the agency?
Will the FAFSA be Fixed?
The 2024-25 cycle was and, in some cases, continues to be a nightmare for students, their families, institutions of higher education, and state agencies.
The 2025-26 began on October 1 with a limited number of students engaging in the preliminary round.
There are three additional rounds scheduled with an increasing number of students and institutions participating. There are two weeks between each testing phase.
With lingering issues from the 12/30/23 launch persisting, the short testing windows have many people concerned.
As of this writing, ED pledges to have the application available to all students by 12/01 – two months later than usual.
The Future of FAFSA and Fixing the Process
While it’s easy to speculate, we will not know the future of FAFSA and ED until sometime in 2025.
It’s been almost a year since the launch of the 2024-25 FAFSA application. While there has been progress and some positive signs, the application remains rife with front and back-end issues.
It is difficult to believe that the FAFSA will be fixed and fully functional under its present leadership.
For now, the future of the FAFSA is uncertain.
What is certain is that countless students, their families, and financial aid administrators have endured an avoidable season of frustration that may extend into the upcoming cycle.
