CONGRESS

In addition to securing the Presidency and the U.S. Senate, the Republican Party also won a majority in the U.S. House of Representatives for the 119^th Congress.

Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the current Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, announced that he will be the Chair of that Committee in the 119^th Congress.

The FAFSA Deadline Act, H.R. 8932, which seeks to establish a firm Oct. 1 deadline for the launch of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form starting in 2025, passed the House by a 380 to 1 vote.

This week, the Republican Party held leadership elections. Senate Republicans elected Sen. John Thune (R-SD) as their new Majority Leader on Wednesday, succeeding Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) won the nomination for Speaker, but must be elected by a majority vote in the full House in early January to officially take the position for the 119^th  Congress. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) were also reelected to their roles for the upcoming Congress.

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) issued new guidance regarding the access, disclosure and use of personally identifiable information from the FAFSA by institutions of higher education, State grant agencies and their respective contractors. ED also shared an update that functionality for batch institutional corrections will be available for use for both the 2024-25 and 2025-26 FAFSA cycles by the end of the first quarter of calendar year 2025. Lastly, ED announced that an expanded beta testing period of the FAFSA would be open to all filers prior to December 1.

ED published an interim final rule that reopens the ability of student loan borrowers to enroll in Income Contingent Repayment and Pay-As-You-Earn student loan repayment plans through July 2027.

The U.S. Departments of Agriculture and Education announced a joint agreement to increase awareness and access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for eligible college students.

The White House held a “Classroom to Career” Summit focused on boosting career pathways to well-paying jobs in fields such as infrastructure, clean energy and advanced manufacturing.

The U.S. Departments of Labor and Commerce released a guide aimed at educating employers on the advantages of skills-first hiring practices.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a report discussing the harms faced by student borrowers as a result of servicing failures and disruptions in programs.

TRANSITION

President-elect Donald Trump continued announcing individuals for key positions requiring Senate confirmation, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for Secretary of Health and Human Services.