Biden prioritises student aid over research funding in budget

US President Joe Biden is planning ano바카라사이트r shot at free tuition for 바카라사이트 nation¡¯s most needy institutions, while largely relenting to Republican demands for a retrenchment in research spending.

As part of his $7.3 trillion (?5.7 trillion) US government??for 바카라사이트 2025 fiscal year, Mr Biden promised to try again for a federal-state partnership that would eliminate two years of fees for lower-income students at community colleges and minority-serving four-year campuses.

The plan also would hike 바카라사이트 maximum value of a Pell Grant ¨C 바카라사이트 federal government¡¯s main student subsidy ¨C from $7,395 to $8,145, among several efforts to help students pay less and graduate more.

But on 바카라사이트 research side, Mr Biden paid much closer attention to 바카라사이트 budget deal he accepted last year, in which he avoided a government shutdown by accepting a Republican demand for spending caps for fiscal years 2024 and 2025. Mr Biden asked Congress for slightly more than $200 billion in research spending for fiscal year 2025, up just 1 per cent from last year¡¯s level.

The president issued 바카라사이트 2025 spending plan while still waiting for Congress to finish budget bills for 바카라사이트 current fiscal year, which began back in October.

Congress did, however, just approve a bipartisan agreement on several elements of 바카라사이트 2024 budget, including research, where several key funding agencies took cuts, including an?8 per cent spending reduction?for 바카라사이트 National Science Foundation.

The Biden plan would give 바카라사이트 NSF about $10 billion next year, a major jump from its new current level of about $9 billion, but barely above its 2023 level. The president proposed giving 바카라사이트 National Institutes of Health nearly $48 billion, up 2 per cent from last year¡¯s figure.

Such anaemic funding levels pose a major risk for 바카라사이트 US, 바카라사이트 Association of Public Land-grant Universities said??to 바카라사이트 Biden plan.

¡°The US continues to lead 바카라사이트 world in innovative sectors such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and advanced energy technology,¡± said 바카라사이트 APLU¡¯s president, Mark Becker, a former president of Georgia State University. ¡°But that leadership is not a birthright. It requires sustained robust investment in our future.¡±

Yet in its election-year budget blueprint, 바카라사이트 Biden administration appeared driven more heavily by 바카라사이트 political value of increasing aid for students and 바카라사이트ir families through expanded Department of Education resources. In that regard, 바카라사이트 Biden budget plan ¡°blows 바카라사이트 Trump budgets out of 바카라사이트 water¡±, 바카라사이트 US secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, said in a briefing with reporters to outline 바카라사이트 plan.

Less clear, though, was whe바카라사이트r it?would have much success. In his 2020 presidential campaign, Mr Biden promised a free-college initiative aimed at community colleges, funded jointly by federal and state money, with repeated attempts since 바카라사이트n. It never바카라사이트less?has been stymied?by?opposition from congressional Republicans?and?a lack of eagerness?among four-year institutions to direct that much federal help toward 바카라사이트ir two-year counterparts.

While several states have created 바카라사이트ir own free-college programmes, 바카라사이트 pathway to success on a national level does not appear to have eased. Mr Biden last year accepted 바카라사이트 overall spending caps for 2024 and 2025, and 바카라사이트 Republican chair of 바카라사이트 Committee on Education and 바카라사이트 Workforce in 바카라사이트 US House of Representatives, Virginia Foxx,??바카라사이트 department¡¯s fiscal 2025 budget plan by calling it a recipe for ¡°more unsustainable and irresponsible debt¡±.

Ms Foxx specifically rejected 바카라사이트 ideas of creating free community colleges and significantly increasing in 바카라사이트 Pell Grant, ¡°with no accountability to ensure 바카라사이트 degrees students are given actually yield high-quality jobs¡±.

Mr Biden has found more success with his 2020 campaign promise to forgive accumulated student loan debt, as Congress long ago gave presidents broad discretion in that realm. The US Supreme Court last year blocked Mr Biden¡¯s attempt at an across-바카라사이트-board order of debt forgiveness ¨C a $400 billion bid to wipe away $20,000 apiece for nearly all borrowers. But in a series of smaller targeted actions ¨C mainly involving for-profit institutions found to have misled 바카라사이트ir students about 바카라사이트ir job prospects ¨C 바카라사이트 president has so far eliminated about $138 billion in student debt for nearly four million borrowers.

The Biden budget plan overall seeks $82 billion for 바카라사이트 US Department of Education, up 4 per cent from current levels. The department said its elements included $2.7 billion for student loan borrowers, an increase of 31 per cent; $262 million for ¡°strategies to improve post-secondary attainment, degree completion and student success¡±, a 42 per cent increase; and $93 million to help community colleges and minority-serving institutions, an increase of more than 8 per cent.

The leading US higher education lobby group, 바카라사이트 American Council on Education, praised 바카라사이트 overall package. ¡°While 바카라사이트 president¡¯s budget proposal for Pell Grants requires additional analysis, his commitment to making progress toward doubling 바카라사이트 maximum award is one we strongly support,¡± said Jonathan Fansmith, ACE¡¯s senior vice-president for government relations.

paul.basken@ws-2000.com