Ernst-Supported Bill to Ensure FAFSA Form Availability Passes Senate

WASHINGTON – Today, the Senate passed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Deadline Act, which U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) cosponsored, to require the Department of Education to ensure that the FAFSA form is available by Oct. 1 every year.

Due to incomplete planning measures, the Biden Department of Education released last year’s version three months late, drastically condensing the timeline for families to submit for aid. To ensure more Iowa families are not left out, Ernst conducted critical oversight, demanded answers on behalf of agricultural communities, and worked to get input directly from impacted Iowans.

“After Biden's FAFSA fumble left students out in the cold, I’m working to hold bureaucrats accountable to a firm deadline,” Ernst said. “As the FAFSA Deadline Act clears another hurdle, I hope that no one has to worry about bureaucratic blunders derailing their academic ambitions. Congress has done our part, and now President Biden must sign this into law immediately. Planning for college is stressful enough – Americans deserve certainty that they will be able to access this federal aid tool by Oct. 1.”

Earlier this week, the House of Representatives passed the FAFSA Deadline Act. Now, the legislation can head to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

Background:

The FAFSA form is typically accessible to students on Oct. 1 of each year to allow ample time to submit financial information before state and school-specific deadlines for aid eligibility. Under the Biden-Harris administration, the Department of Education has put students on the back burner and continuously delayed the release of the FAFSA form, causing thousands of students across the U.S. to miss out on crucial funding.

In addition to supporting the FAFSA Deadline Act, Ernst introduced the Family Farm and Small Business Exemption Act to reverse recent changes to the FAFSA process that could reduce or even eliminate access to need-based student aid for farm families and small business owners.

She has also introduced the Student Transparency for Understanding Decisions in Education Net Terms (STUDENT) Act to give prospective students an estimate of the total amount of interest they would pay on a loan.

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