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2026 Legislative Priorities

From LegCon26
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Pell Grant

  • Over 6 million students depend on Pell each year, nearly 1 in 3 college students nationwide.

  • The maximum Pell Grant today covers only about 30% of college tuition costs, the lowest share of college costs in the program’s history since 1972. This forces students to take on more loans and makes it harder for them to finish their degree.

  • Administrative costs to the Pell program are expected to increase due to recent legislative changes (FAFSA Simplification Act and the 2025 reconciliation law expanded eligibility), threatening federal aid dollars to students and operation of the program.

Problem

In February 2026, the CBO released new funding projections for the Pell Grant program, which faces a significant funding gap: $5.4 billion for FY 2026 and nearly $11.5 billion for FY 2027. As a result, students may not receive their full awards, which could cause some to turn to risky private student loans or not enroll at all.

Solution

In the FY 2027 appropriations cycle, Congress must account for the shortfall and fully fund the Pell Grant program for at least $16.9 billion, and strongly oppose any proposed cuts.

TRIO Programs

  • Federal TRIO Programs play a critical role in supporting over 817,000 low-income and first-generation students across the nation, helping them prepare for, enroll in, and graduate from college.

  • These programs provide essential services, including mentoring, tutoring, and guidance, that empower students to overcome significant barriers to higher education.

  • In 2025, Trump’s Department of Education (ED) refused to award or continue more than 100 TRIO grants nationwide. The actions constituted one of the most sweeping disruptions to TRIO in the program’s history, redirecting tens of millions of dollars in congressionally appropriated funds and depriving tens of thousands of students, including veterans and students with disabilities, of critical services.

  • In January 2026, the U.S. District Court found that ED failed to follow required statutory and regulatory procedures when it denied applications for new Student Support Services grants and discontinued other TRIO grants mid-cycle.

Problem

The Trump Administration has called for the elimination of the Federal TRIO Programs. Without TRIO, low-income and first-generation students will face critical service disruptions and risk losing access to the pathway to college.

Solution

Congress must provide funding at the highest possible level for all TRIO Programs in the FY 2027 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, and ensure that our low-income, first-generation students have access to the resources they need.

Reject the SAVE Act

  • The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act would require all American citizens registering to vote or updating their registration information to present a birth certificate or passport in person. Student IDs, government-issued driver’s licenses (including REAL IDs), military IDs, and tribal IDs do not satisfy the bill’s requirements.

  • Students wishing to register at their college address would need to produce citizenship documents and find transportation to a local election office, a significant barrier for students without access to a car.

  • Nationwide, 21 million Americans do not have citizenship documents readily available and 2.6 million lack any government issued photo ID at all.

  • Meanwhile, non-citizen voting is so rare it amounts to .000007% of all ballots cast since 2000.

Problem

The SAVE Act is a direct attack on young voters. It would change the way all citizens register to vote upon enactment, upend online voter registration, make it impossible to mail in a registration application, and eliminate voter registration drives. This bill aims to address a problem that doesn't exist, and it would silence an entire generation of voters.

Solution

Congress must reject the SAVE Act, and protect students’ voting rights.

Save the Department of Education

  • The Department of Education’s (ED) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is the frontline defender of students’ civil rights. OCR enforces laws that protect more than 70 million students.

  • In 2025, the Trump administration announced a mass firing of half of ED’s staff and shut down 7 of its 12 regional offices.

  • OCR dismissed roughly 90% of the more than 9,000 new complaints of discrimination based on race, sex, disability, and age filed between March and September 2025.

Problem

Without ED, there is no federal enforcement of Title VI, Title IX, or disability protections in schools. The consequences of a dismantled, shuttered ED are devastating for students in every state. These actions and any further gutting threaten access to quality learning environments and deny students of vital support.

Solution

Congress must do everything in its power to ensure ED meets its statutory obligations and has the necessary resources to do so. In the FY 2027 appropriations cycle, Congress should also oppose any cuts to education that would harm students and further dismantle OCR.

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