Fafsa Deadline Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. OWENS. Mr. Speaker, today I rise to urge my colleagues to pass H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act.

This bill addresses the urgent need for predictability and transparency in release of FAFSA, the form that helps so many American families to plan and afford college.

For years, students and parents could rely on the October 1 release date for FAFSA, giving families time to understand their aid options and make informed decisions about the future, but under the Biden- Harris administration, we have seen a pattern of delays, poor planning, and, worse: indifference to the impact these failures have on Americans.

After years of groundwork laid by the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act, the Department of Education had every reason to be prepared, but in 2023, they missed their mark, and not just by days or weeks. They delayed the form's release until the end of December, leaving families in the lurch and scrambling to meet a last-minute deadline.

The consequences of these delays are real. It isn't just about dates on a calendar. It is about futures on hold. The Department of Education's dysfunction means 430,000 fewer students filed a FAFSA this year. That is not a small number. It is hundreds of thousands of young people who have abandoned their plans for college simply because they couldn't get the information they needed.

Beyond the missed opportunities for students, these delays burdened schools and States, preventing them from processing aid packages on time and creating even more uncertainty in an already challenging time for higher education.

The FAFSA Deadline Act isn't just a fix. It is a promise, a promise that our Department of Education will be held to an October 1 release date, giving students, families, and schools the clarity and predictability they deserve.

This bill would end the needless confusion. It says that future administrations won't be able to move the goalposts or let the deadline slip through their fingers, all while families are left paying the price.

Mr. Speaker, we are here to make college more accessible for our kids. H.R. 8932 will ensure that students don't lose the chance to pursue their higher education just because of bureaucratic missteps.

It is a commonsense reform that will bring accountability and order to a system that desperately needs it.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this bill, not just for us but for the millions of young Americans counting on us to keep the doors of opportunity wide open.

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