Fafsa Deadline Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 8932, the FAFSA Deadline Act and a robust and efficient FAFSA application process. For many of our constituents, this process is the start of determining whether college is a reality or remains a dream. FAFSA can unlock critical financial aid that may make the difference between not only starting college, but also completing it.

As we've seen over the past two years, the FAFSA application process has been plagued by delays and technical issues as the Biden Administration worked to implement a new form. During the 2024 to 2025 processing cycle, processing delays resulted in families struggling to fill out the forms and delayed financial assistance packages being sent to students, causing unnecessary burdens and stress.

By standardizing the FAFSA application launch date on October 1, we not only ease burdens on Department of Education officials tasked with processing these applications, but on families who rely on federal assistance to be able to afford college.

An efficient FAFSA application process is critical to making higher education more accessible and affordable. However, let's be clear: a better and more reliable timeline while we are cutting and gutting the federal programs that help provide support to students, like the Pell Grant and TRIO, isn't going to do much good for our constituents.

So, while we take this first step, let's not lose sight of all the other steps that we need to take to protect access to higher education for those who choose to pursue it. We must do what we can to improve the processing of these applications in a timely manner, which is why I am in support of this bill.

Rest assured, I will fight like hell in the next Congress to protect the federal programs and funding sources that help the students who will benefit from the FAFSA process stay enrolled and graduate, too.

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