This message was sent to NACAC members on June 26, 2025

In a letter to Congress and the administration in January 2025, NACAC articulated a vision for building, not dismantling, educational opportunity in the United States. We did so with the knowledge that those in control of the executive and legislative branches intended to tear down much of the federal support system for education.

Today, I write to seek your help – with even greater urgency.

Soon, the Senate will vote on the massive budget reconciliation package currently before Congress, perhaps before July 4. The administration has given it a disingenuous name: the “big, beautiful bill.” In reality, this bill hits the most vulnerable among us the hardest, which is far from beautiful.

NACAC has fought for decades to build programs that move us closer to our vision: that postsecondary education is available to all who seek it. That progress is in jeopardy, with budget reconciliation merely one in a long series of detrimental proposals. The Senate bill includes:

  • New barriers and strict limitations to financial aid eligibility
  • Despite heavy reliance on loans for federal aid policy, a further restriction of borrowing and repayment options
  • Rollback of student and taxpayer protections against fraud and abuse by predatory institutions

Our voices were critical in persuading the Senate to avoid some truly disastrous elements in the House bill, which would have eliminated subsidized student loans, eliminated Pell eligibility for students enrolled less than half-time, and scuttled Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF). Your voice matters!

Access to higher education builds America and can move us toward the ‘greatness’ that the administration supposedly seeks. We know that a college degree boosts lifetime earnings by more than $1 million; the Federal Reserve notes that higher education and hospitals together provide more than $1.7 trillion to the nation’s economy; and we know that a postsecondary education provides benefits into many other areas of life beyond finances.

The legislative process is not yet finished, so there is still time to make a difference.

NACAC has provided a form for contacting your senators to urge them to oppose this bill and not tear down all that we have helped build.

If you believe access to postsecondary education is worth fighting for, now is the time for action.