AJCU Statements & Letters to 118th U.S. Congress & The Administration
Higher Education Act
- ACE letter to U.S. Secretary of Education requesting deadline extension for reporting requirements in financial value transparency and gainful employment (December 13, 2024)
- ACE letter of support for the FAFSA Deadline Act (November 12, 2024)
- AJCU letter to U.S. Secretary of Education requesting delay of institutional reporting deadlines for Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment (September 13, 2024)
- ACE letter to U.S. Department of Education re: NPRM on program integrity and institutional quality (August 23, 2024)
- ACE letter to House leadership opposing efforts to include the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act and the Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT) Act as amendments to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for FY25 (June 7, 2024)
- ACE letter to U.S. House and Senate leadership on FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020 (May 22, 2024)
- ACE letter to the U.S. Department of Education regarding financial value transparency (FVT) and gainful employment (GE) reporting requirements (April 22, 2024)
- ACE letter to U.S. Department of Education regarding challenges with processing Institutional Student Information Records (March 28, 2024)
- NAICU and ACE letters to U.S. Secretary of Education with requests to delay implementation of the Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment and related regulatory package (March 14, 2024)
- ACE letter to House leadership expressing concerns re: H.R. 6951, the College Cost Reduction Act (January 30, 2024)
- Higher ed comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (June 20, 2023)
- AJCU and ACCU comments in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (June 20, 2023)
- ACE sign-on letter to U.S. Department of Education on FAFSA needs analysis (June 8, 2023)
- ACE sign-on letter to U.S. Department of Education on Section 117 (foreign gifts and contracts reporting requirements) (June 5, 2023)
- NAICU sign-on letter re: U.S. Department of Education’s Guidance Regarding Personal Liability of College and University Leadership and Trustees for Title IV Obligations (May 16, 2023)
- Higher ed comments on the U.S. Department of Education’s Feb. 15 Dear Colleague Letter, “Requirements and Responsibilities for Third-Party Servicers and Institutions” (March 29, 2023)
- Higher ed comment letter in response to the U.S. Department of Education’s request for information on “First Amendment and Free Inquiry Related Grant Conditions” (March 24, 2023)
- Comments from the higher education community on Section 117 of the Higher Education Act (February 27, 2023)
- Letter to U.S. Secretary of Education on Requirements and Responsibilities for Third-Party Servicers (TPS) and Institutions (February 23, 2023)
Budget and Appropriations
AJCU works on the Budget every year with the Administration and House and Senate Budget Committees. In addition, AJCU works on appropriations each year with both the House and Senate. AJCU advocates for Federal Student Aid Programs such as Pell Grants, the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grant Program (SEOG), Federal Work Study (FWS), the Perkins Loan Program, TRIO and GearUP. AJCU also works on issues pertaining to graduate education, student loans, Parent Plus Loans, Teacher Education in Title II and international education.
- Letter from Coalition for Health Funding and NDD United partners on FY25 appropriations (June 25, 2024)
- Written testimony of AJCU president to U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on FY25 appropriations (May 22, 2024)
- Letter from #DoublePell alliance to U.S. House and Senate leadership on FY25 funding for Pell Grants (May 22, 2024)
- Higher ed community letter to House Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee with FY25 funding request (May 6, 2024)
- AJCU FY25 Appropriations Request (May 3, 2024)
- AJCU letter to House and Senate leadership on FY25 funding for federal student aid programs (April 16, 2024)
- NAICU letter to House and Senate Leadership on FY24 funding for federal student aid programs (January 31, 2024)
- Higher ed community letter for non-defense discretionary appropriations in FY24 (January 7, 2024)
- AJCU letter to House leadership on FY 2024 Labor, HHS, Education Appropriations bill (November 1, 2023)
- Student Aid Alliance letter to Biden Administration regarding FY25 budget (September 29, 2023)
- CEF letter urging Congress to pass a CR at current levels and oppose education cuts for FY24 (September 28, 2023)
- Coalition for International Education letter to House Appropriations Committee leadership on FY24 international education funding (September 11, 2023)
- AJCU letter to House Appropriations leadership on FY24 education funding for FWS and SEOG programs (July 19, 2023)
- Committee for Education Funding letter to House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill for FY24 (July 6, 2023)
- Higher education community letter to House and Senate Appropriations leaders on Pell grants (June 29, 2023)
- Coalition for Health Funding letter to House and Senate leadership in opposition to cuts to nondefense, discretionary spending cuts or statutory caps on federal appropriations (May 15, 2023)
- Final Coalition for International Education letter to House L-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittees regarding FY24 funding for Title VI & Fulbright-Hays (May 9, 2023)
- Final Coalition for International Education letter to Senate L-HHS-ED Appropriations Subcommittees regarding FY24 funding for Title VI & Fulbright-Hays (May 9, 2023)
- Committee for Education Funding letter urging House members to oppose spending cuts in the “Limit, Save, Grow Act of 2023″ (April 26, 2023)
- AJCU Testimony: U.S. House of Representatives, Labor, Health Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee (March 23, 2023)
Homeland Security & International Students
- ACE letter to U.S. Department of State requesting waiving in-person interview requirements for certain nonimmigrant visa applicants to the U.S. (December 8, 2023)
- ACE letter to House Leadership on the “Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT)” Act (December 4, 2023)
- Higher education community letter on the “Defending Education Transparency and Ending Rogue Regimes Engaging in Nefarious Transactions (DETERRENT)” Act (November 6, 2023)
Affiliations
AJCU does not work alone. Here, you will find more information on just a small sample of allies in the work to shine a brighter light on the importance of higher education in the United States.
A note on regulations:
After the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010, regulations from the joint Departments of H&HS, Treasury and Labor were released in March 2011 mandating that religious institutions’ employees and students would have access to contraceptive coverage. AJCU responded to this first NPRM on June 13, 2011 with a focus on the loss of religious freedom and concern over a new definition of a religious institution that had never been used before. AJCU also responded to the second NPRM of February 1, 2013 and filed a response on April 8, 2013. In this NPRM, AJCU thanked the Departments for inclusion of AJCU’s suggested language on establishing a precedent description for a religious institution.
COVID-19 Legislation
AJCU has joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and other higher education organizations to ask Congress to support students and institutions in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis:
- AJCU letter on the TREAT Act to Congress (April 8, 2024)
Immigration
- Higher ed community letter to U.S. Department of State re: delays with processing F-1 and J-1 visa applications at U.S. consulates in India (July 3, 2024)
- Comment letter to USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) on proposed increased fees (March 13, 2023)
DACA / Dream Act
- AJCU letter to U.S. Senate leadership in support of S.365: Dream Act of 2023 (May 15, 2024)
Tax Policies
- Letter to House and Senate leadership from the Section 127 Coalition to endorse the Employer Participation in Repayment Act (August 1, 2024)
- Letter re: backlog of Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) filings by independent colleges and universities (May 2, 2023)
Additional Issues
- Higher ed community letter to U.S. Senate leadership in support of the Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R. 8371) (November 26, 2024)
- Higher education community letter to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on the 85/15 Reporting Requirement (November 12, 2024)
- Higher education community letter to U.S. Senate leadership on the Stop Campus Hazing Act (November 8, 2024)
- AJCU letter to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in response to Federal Register Notice FR Doc. 2024-20785 (November 4, 2024)
- ACE letter to House and Senate Armed Services Committee leadership re: FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (October 8, 2024)
- Higher ed community CIRCIA comments to DHS/CISA (July 3, 2024)
- ACE comments to U.S. Department of Education on proposed rule regarding the National Resource Centers Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.015A, and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships Program, Assistance Listing Number 84.015B (March 25, 2024)
- ACE letter to House leadership on opposition to Section 6 of H.R. 6585, the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act (February 27, 2024)
- ACE letter to FCC on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, “Safeguarding and Securing the Open Internet” (WC Docket No. 23-320) (December 14, 2023)
- CUPA-HR community letter to U.S. Department of Labor on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) RIN 1235-AA39 (November 7, 2023)
- NAICU community letter to U.S. Department of Labor on Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) RIN 1235-AA39 (November 3, 2023)
- ACE community letter regarding issues in the FY24 NDAA conference (September 21, 2023)
- Final comments from ACE to NSF on the PAPPG foreign gift and contract disclosure (June 12, 2023)
- ACE sign-on letter to OSTP on NSPM-33 research standard requirements (June 5, 2023)
- Higher ed community letter urging Congress to streamline Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (May 25, 2023)