House Rules Committee Blocks Pell Act Amendment to FY25 NDAA
Published June 24, 2024
By AACOM Government Relations
Advocacy Federal Policy Higher Education OME Advocate
- On June 11, 2024, the House Rules Committee decided that amendment #943 to the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was not made “in order,” or relevant to the overall bill, blocking it from advancing in the NDAA package, which the House passed on June 14 mostly along party lines by a vote of 217-199.
- The amendment, which would have attached the Bipartisan Workforce Pell Act (H.R. 6585) to the NDAA, was one of more than 1,300 proposed amendments, only 350 of which were considered in order.
- While H.R. 6585 would expand student eligibility for Pell Grants for high-quality, short-term training programs, the pay-for has been met with strong opposition from the higher education community.
- It would mean that institutions subject to the endowment tax would be required to submit an annual risk-sharing payment to the U.S. Department of Education for the amounts of principal and interest that are not repaid on federal student loans. This could set a concerning precedent for targeting educational institutions and their ability to participate in important federal student loan programs.
- AACOM signed the American Council on Education’s letter to the House Rules Committee, detailing the concerns centered around the pay-for of the bill and requesting that the legislation be considered through the regular process, including consideration and hearings by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. AACOM continues to monitor the legislation.