February 14, 2024

Wyden, Merkley, Colleagues Urge Education Department to Address FAFSA Rollout Issues

Washington D.C. - U.S. Senators Ron Wyden, Jeff Merkley and Senate colleagues today called on the U.S. Department of Education to urgently address the operational issues with the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form that impacts many students in Oregon and nationwide.

“We are supportive of the Department’s decision to make these adjustments in the updated form, but were disappointed to hear these adjustments would lead to even further delays in this year’s FAFSA processing… We write today to ask for more clarity on how the Department plans to communicate any further delays in FAFSA processing, and how the Department intends to minimize the potential impact on students and families so they can make the most informed decision possible about their futures, including through providing prompt, clear timelines,” the senators wrote in a letter to Education Department Secretary Miguel Cardona.

Every year, about 17 million students fill out the FAFSA form as a first step to access the financial aid needed to cover the skyrocketing costs of higher education. In 2020, Congress passed the bipartisan FAFSA Simplification Act to make the federal student financial aid process more efficient and straightforward. The FAFSA Simplification Act directed the Department to streamline the application form and make long overdue updates to the formulas that assess a student’s financial need. According to the Department, as a result of this law, the 2024-2025 FAFSA form will ensure 610,000 more students from low-income backgrounds will be eligible to receive a federal Pell Grant, and 1.5 million more students will be eligible to receive a maximum Pell award.

However, implementation of these changes was a significant undertaking, one that the Department has had to do with less funding than it anticipated. As a result, operational glitches and delays in the rollout of this new version of the FAFSA form has left students and colleges in limbo, and locked many families out of the process altogether. 

“Any delays in financial aid processing will most impact the students that need aid most, including many students of color, students from mixed status families, students from rural backgrounds, students experiencing homelessness or in foster care, first-generation students, and students from underserved communities. For institutions to support students’ ability to make informed decisions about their future, they need clear guidance and resources from the Department immediately on any and all next steps,” the senators continued.

The letter was led by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Patty Murray, D-Wash. Alongside Wyden and Merkley, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Alex Padilla, D-Calif., Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., Michael Bennet, D-Colo., Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., Bob Casey, D-Pa., Catherine Cortez-Masto, D-Nev., Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill., John Fetterman, D-Pa., Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., John Hickenlooper, D-Colo., Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va., Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., Angus King, I-Maine, Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Ed Markey, D-Mass., Jon Ossoff, D-Ga., Gary Peters, D-Mich., Jack Reed, D-R.I., Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., Tina Smith, D-Minn., Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., Mark Warner, D-Va., Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

The text of the letter is here.