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Reconciliation Update: House and Senate Agree to Narrowed Budget Blueprint

NASFAA

Hugh T. Ferguson
April 11, 2025
Both chambers of Congress have now agreed to the same budget blueprint, which unlocks the next phase of the reconciliation process; drafting legislative text and directing committees to find roughly $4 billion in spending cuts over a decade.
This topline is more in line with the Senate’s initial budget blueprint as opposed to the House’s original plan which called for $1.7 trillion in spending cuts and $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, and allows for a $2.8 trillion increase in primary deficits over the 10-year budget window from fiscal year (FY) 2025 to FY 2034.
The Senate’s initial proposal would have allowed for up to $175 billion of new funding for border security and immigration enforcement. It also directed Congressional committees to find at least $4 billion in spending cuts, $1 billion specifically for health, education, and labor programs.

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California to launch ‘career passports’ to encourage job access

Higher Ed Dive 

Kathryn Moody
April 8, 2025
The program is part of a broader plan by the state to improve career pathways, particularly for historically disadvantaged groups.
Dive Brief:
In an effort to expand access to jobs and reduce employer reliance on degrees for hiring, California will launch “career passports,” a tool that will combine academic records and “verified experience from work, military service, training programs, and more,” Gov. Gavin Newsom announced April 2.
California will also invest in expanding the Credit for Prior Learning program that allows workers to turn their experience into college credit. Additionally, the state intends to build stronger state and regional coordination through paid internships, streamlined funding and employer input upon which skills are needed, among other strategies.
The proposals are all part of a broader “master plan” to improve career pathways in the state, the announcement said.

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Certificate Completion Drives Undergraduate Attainment Rates

Inside Higher Ed

Ashley Mowreader
April 10, 2025
New National Student Clearinghouse data shows completion rates are up 0.6 percent for the first time in three years, though the number of bachelor’s and associate degree earners declined.
The national undergraduate completion rate rose for the first time in three years last year, with 3.2 million learners earning an undergraduate credential during the 2023–24 academic year, a year-over-year increase of 0.6 percent, according to the most recent data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
This spring’s “Undergraduate Degree Earners” report, released today, attributes the increase to record-breaking growth in certificates, with 525,200 learners completing one, up 11.2 percent from the year prior. The report found certificate completers sought credentials for a variety of reasons, including to launch directly into a career, to reskill in a new field and to kick-start their postsecondary education.

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Tillis, Gallego Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Veterans’ Access to Skilled Trade Educational Programs

Thom Tillis

April 8, 2025
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) recently introduced the Veterans Education and Technical Skills (VETS) Opportunity Act, bipartisan, bicameral legislation that would extend educational benefits in the Post-9/11 GI Bill to include partially online (or hybrid) versions of skilled trade training programs. Joining Senators Tillis and Gallego were Senators Ted Budd (R-NC), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Gary Peters (D-MI), Rick Scott (R-FL), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).
“This commonsense legislation modernizes the Post-9/11 GI Bill to expand veterans’ access to high-quality skilled trade and vocational programs for in-demand career pathways like welding and HVAC, ensuring they have the tools and resources they need to succeed in today’s workforce,” said Senator Tillis. “By supporting hybrid learning opportunities, we’re providing veterans with the flexibility to gain critical skills, find gainful employment, and contribute to our economy after their service.”
“Our veterans deserve access to training programs that prepare them for the modern economy, and increasingly those programs are happening in a hybrid format,” said Senator Gallego. “I’m proud to help introduce this bipartisan, commonsense bill that will expand educational opportunities for veterans so they can succeed after their service.”
Full text of the legislation is available HERE.

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