It’s Time for Radical Reform in Higher Education

AEI

Beth Akers
August 29, 2024
There were many years when Republican and Democratic lawmakers weren’t too far apart on higher education policy. Their rhetoric reflected different priorities, but neither party really pushed for a radical departure from the status quo. Debate about reform was largely at the margins. But times have changed.
The Overton window on higher education has shifted dramatically to the left, allowing progressive values to manifest in the form of overreaching executive actions; namely, the Biden Administration’s efforts to cancel student debt. Republicans can no longer engage in the discourse on fixing higher education by advancing modest or incremental reforms. The damage inflicted on higher education can now only be undone by radical reform. A bill currently on the floor of the House would accomplish just that.
The College Cost Reduction Act (CCRA), introduced by Representative Virginia Foxx earlier this year, offers a pathway back to a sustainable regime of federal financial aid and accountability for institutions.
Higher education in the United States is about to become a runaway train. By dismantling the integrity of the student loan program, piece by piece, President Biden is also emboldening the thousands of colleges and universities that participate in these programs, enabling them to inflate their prices to match. As students come to realize they may not have to pay back the loans they take from taxpayers through the federal student loan program, they’re going to be willing to borrow more, knowing it’s the taxpayers—not themselves—who will be paying the price.

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