Cassidy: 2024-25 FAFSA ‘Has Not Gone Well’
Maria Carrasco
January 17, 2024
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), ranking member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, criticized the Department of Education (ED) in a letter on Friday for its “botched” rollout of the 2024-25 FAFSA.
Cassidy voiced his concerns about the impact the rocky FAFSA rollout will have on low-income students, specifically first-generation college students experiencing the financial aid process for the first time, as many have reported glitches, errors, and issues with access to the application.
Specifically, Cassidy criticized ED’s recent student loan forgiveness announcements, writing that the department “prioritized its multiple student loan schemes over performing the tasks mandated by Congress.” On Friday morning, ED announced it was implementing a provision of the Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan to provide forgiveness earlier for eligible borrowers.
“The purpose of the FAFSA Simplification Act was to make financial aid more accessible for all students, by simplifying the application process,” Cassidy wrote. “Instead, the current rollout has made navigating the financial aid system far more difficult for students with greater uncertainty.”
