High Country Times

Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chairman Burgess Owens (R-UT) chaired a hearing titled "GAO Uncovers Biden-Harris FAFSA Failures" on September 24, 2024. Owens provided the following statement during the hearing:

"Thank you all for being here today, but, frankly, I wish this hearing had not been necessary. Once again, the Committee is addressing the ongoing failure of the Biden-Harris administration’s attempt to implement the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA."

Owens highlighted that despite efforts to simplify the FAFSA through legislation passed in 2020, issues persist late into 2024. He noted that Congress's intent was to reduce complexity and streamline the process.

"The idea was simple: reduce the number of questions, streamline the process, and make it easier for families to determine their financial aid eligibility," Owens said. "The law was set to take full effect in 2023, but here we are, late into 2024, and the situation is far from resolved."

He criticized what he described as mismanagement by the Biden-Harris administration: "Implemented over 30 years ago and once considered the doorway to postsecondary education, FAFSA has become a headache and nightmare for millions of students and their parents thanks to this administration."

Owens attributed delays and errors in part to resource reallocation within the Department of Education: "Instead of focusing on implementing the simplified FAFSA, the Biden-Harris administration justified cutting FAFSA support staff and leaving three-quarters of calls unanswered for months."

According to Owens, these failures have led to significant impacts on students' ability to afford higher education. He stated that over 430,000 fewer students submitted a FAFSA last year compared to previous years.

"The impact of the Biden-Harris administration failure is devastating," he said. "Some community colleges are now dealing with significant declines in enrollment."

Owens also criticized what he termed as lack of responsiveness from the Department of Education: "The Committee... demanded answers. And yet... [the] Department has been largely unresponsive... even going so far as to stonewall a non-partisan Government Accountability Office’s (GAO) investigation into... FAFSA failures."

He revealed that a subpoena was necessary for obtaining information from the Department: "It has taken a subpoena from this body for [the] Department to finally respond... This lack of accountability is unacceptable..."

Addressing future actions by his committee, Owens emphasized ongoing efforts towards transparency and accountability: "This Committee refuses to sit idle while [the] Department mismanages futures... Thanks... GAO has released preliminary findings..."

In conclusion, Owens called for more oversight moving forward: "...this really is not about a form. It’s about keeping a promise... No administration has [a] right [to stand] in [the way]."