Higher Ed Funding Package Advanced by House Committee
Meghan Brink
July 6, 2022
Includes increases to the Pell Grant and other student aid, increased accountability for for-profits.
The House Appropriations Committee approved a funding plan on June 30 that would increase funding for the Education Department by 13 percent for fiscal year 2023.
The bill, approved by the committee in a vote of 32 to 24 along party lines, would allocate over $3.9 billion for higher education, a $968 million increase from fiscal year 2022, and $24.6 billion for federal student aid programs, a $59 million increase.
The budget plan would set the stage to fulfill Biden’s proposal to expand the maximum Pell Grant by $2,175 to $8,670. It does this by providing an additional $500 increase to the discretionary funding for Pell Grant, the only portion of the funding that is controlled by the Appropriations Committee. In order to reach the president’s goal, the House and Senate must increase mandatory funding through legislation to change the Higher Education Act of 1965. (This paragraph has been updated with more explanation.)
