Rep. Cisneros Urges Sec. Devos to Quickly Release Emergency Education Grants to All Students, Including Daca Recipients

Press Release

Today, Representative Gilbert R. Cisneros, Jr. (CA-39) joined 72 of his House colleagues in sending a letter to Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos regarding the delayed disbursement of Economic Financial Aid Grants to students under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The letter also asked the Department to reconsider the restrictive guidelines it issued in respect to the use of those funds and who is eligible to collect them. On April 15th, Rep. Cisneros announced nearly $100 million from the CARES Act for 39th District students, colleges, and universities. The full text of the letter is available here.

"The coronavirus has upended the lives of students in California's 39th District and across the country. While Congress acted to provide emergency education relief in the CARES Act, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is irresponsibly delaying this critical funding," said Rep. Cisneros. "Nearly $100 million is supposed to come back to our 39th District colleges and universities. I strongly urge Secretary DeVos to quickly release this much-needed funding for our struggling students. They cannot wait for relief any longer."

Many colleges and universities initially experienced technical difficulties with the application, in addition to confusion over what the funds could be used for. The Department of Education has still provided no explanation as to why so little money has been dispensed over the course of the last three weeks.

Recently, the Department issued severely-delayed guidance on the use of these funds that is already in need of updating. The guidelines restrict funds to those students who have applied for or could apply for financial aid under Section 484 of the Higher Education Act. This excludes DACA recipients, international students, and students in basic adult education and dual enrollment courses who do not have a high school diploma.

The coronavirus pandemic has touched every corner of our nation and affects everyone, regardless of race, nationality, religion, or socioeconomic status. The Department of Education's narrow guidance goes directly against the broad language of the CARES Act, which was put forth with the specific intent of helping as many people as possible.

Rep. Cisneros and his colleagues requested that the Department immediately focus on distributing these emergency financial aid grants as quickly and efficiently as possible, as well as updating the guidance surrounding the grants so that all students have access to this vital aid.

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