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Month: June 2025

Senate Tax Package Update

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Senate Finance Committee Chair Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) confirmed Tuesday that his panel will not formally review the GOP tax package recently released by the committee, opting instead to send it directly to the Senate floor as part of the GOP’s broader legislative effort. While Crapo maintains that this decision is unrelated to opposition within the committee, speculation suggests that Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), a key swing vote and vocal critic, may have influenced the move.

The Senate package introduces an endowment tax hike for private institutions, though it is more modest than the House version. Additionally, it eliminates the proposed logo and licensing income tax included in the House’s provision.

The committee’s proposal also contains controversial Medicaid and debt ceiling provisions. One key Medicaid-related measure would gradually reduce most states’ ability to impose provider taxes on hospitals and other health care providers, capping the rate at 3.5% by 2031—down from the current 6% limit. However, this restriction would only apply to the 40 states and the District of Columbia that have expanded Medicaid for low-income adults.

For states that have not expanded Medicaid—primarily GOP-led—new provider tax rate increases would be restricted but would not face as drastic an impact. The Senate package also introduces stricter Medicaid work requirements, mandating that parents with children aged 15 and older engage in work, volunteer activities, school, or job training for at least 80 hours a month to maintain benefits. The House version had exempted parents of dependent children from this requirement.

Regarding the debt ceiling, the Senate committee proposes a $5 trillion increase, surpassing the House’s $4 trillion adjustment. This provision is designed to extend the timeframe for President Trump’s policy implementation, reducing the necessity for negotiations with Democrats over the cap.

If the committee’s proposal withstands scrutiny under the Senate Byrd Rule process, it will be incorporated into the “Big, Beautiful Bill” package, requiring only a simple majority to pass. GOP leaders aim to send the bill to President Trump by July 4, though some lawmakers have voiced concerns about the ambitious timeline.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senate Education Package Released

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On Tuesday, Senate Republicans on the Health, Education, Labor & Pensions Committee released the text of their portion of the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” The legislative proposal would make significant changes to student borrowing and higher education throughout the country, though some of these changes would be less drastic than those contained in the bill passed by House Republicans last month.

The Senate plan mirrors the House plan in its call to reshape the federal student loan system by eliminating Grad PLUS loans along with capping Parent PLUS loans at $65,000 ($15,000 increase from House plan) and graduate student borrowing at $100,000 (same as House plan).

Furthermore, both the Senate and the House bills would create a workforce Pell program, expanding grant eligibility to short-term credential programs that run from 8 to 15 weeks.

Some of the most controversial plans in the House text, however, are either scrapped or significantly altered in the Senate version. For instance, the Senate scrapped a House plan that would require colleges to cover unpaid student loans, preferring instead to tie colleges’ access to federal student loans to students’ earnings after graduation. Under the Senate’s plan, undergraduate programs could lose aid eligibility if their students earn less than an adult with a high school diploma. For graduate and professional programs, student earnings would be compared with bachelor’s degree holders.

Additionally, the Senate version does not cap undergraduate borrowing or eliminate unsubsidized loans, and it scraps the House’s plan to increase the number of credits needed to be considered full-time for Pell eligibility from 12 to 15.

While these changes have been approved by the committee, the bill still faces a long road ahead. Significant changes between House and Senate versions of the “Big, Beautiful Bill,” still need to be worked out, meaning another vote in the House may be necessary if it passes the Senate. Additionally, some GOP Senators remain wary of Medicaid cuts and other controversial provisions contained in the massive legislative package.

 

 

 

Trump Travel Ban

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On Tuesday, President Trump signed an Executive Order resurrecting and expanding the travel ban put in place during his first term. This new ban prohibits citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States.

The ban, which the White House said would go into effect on Monday, excludes any nationals of these countries who hold green cards, along with anyone traveling to the U.S. for coming major sporting events, including the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028. Afghans who receive special immigrant visas—a visa reserved for Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military during its two-decade presence in Afghanistan—are also exempt.

Additionally, the order imposes restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Citizens from these seven countries will be barred from permanently immigrating to the United States, but will still be eligible for other temporary visas, such as the H-1B temporary work visa.

Dept. of Education Budget Request Released

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The Trump administration has released its budget request for the Department of Education for Fiscal Year 2026, proposing steep funding cuts of more than 15%—a $12 billion reduction in budget authority. The administration characterizes these cuts as part of a broader effort to “responsibly wind down” the department.

While the president’s budget request serves as an important policy statement, it carries no legal authority. Final funding decisions rest with Congress, which determines allocations through the annual appropriations process. Several key Congressional committees are set to begin deliberations in the coming weeks, shaping the future of federal education spending.

Included below are some of the key higher education policy changes proposed in the budget request:

  • Pell Grant Reduction: The maximum Pell Grant award would be cut by $1,685, reducing it to $5,710 in total. The administration argues that this is necessary to address a $2.7 billion shortfall that has resulted from increasing instances of fraud as well as congressional irresponsibility.
  • Elimination of TRIO Programs: Federal funding for TRIO programs would be ended entirely. The administration argues that programs to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be better administered by individual states.
  • Cuts to Federal Work-Study: The administration requests to cut funding for work-study programs by $980 million. The administration hopes these proposed cuts will help to “enact a more appropriate split between Federal and employer wage subsidy, where employers pay 75 percent of a student’s hourly wages and reduce the federal contribution to 25 percent.”
  • Defunding GEAR UP: The GEAR UP program would also be defunded under this proposal.