President Donald Trump announced plans to pause all grants, loans and other federal financial assistance on Jan. 27 in yet another executive order. This added to more than 50 other executive orders that Trump has signed in the first three weeks of his second presidential term — the most any president has signed in his first 100 days in office in over 40 years.
Despite this initial blow, on Jan. 28 the order was temporarily blocked by the U.S. District Judge Loren L. Ailkin, minutes before it was planned to take effect. This block was prompted by several lawsuits from nonprofit groups receiving federal funding, joining the mass public outrage and confusion since the White House’s announcement.
Just two days after the initial signage, the order was rescinded on Jan. 29, with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) releasing a series of statements claiming that federal funding review would continue, however the order was rescinded to prevent any further confusion on the areas impacted by the freeze.
Included in these statements were specifications that those receiving Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — or SNAP benefits — and certain funds for small businesses, farmers, Pell grants and rental assistance would be exempt from these plans. Perhaps some of the largest confusion surrounding this order came from college students, especially those relying on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
FAFSA, created in 1992 by Congress’s reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, provides financial assistance to over 17 million college students in the United States. Moreover, Pell grants, the largest federal grant program for undergraduates in the United States, provides assistance to exceptionally low-income students, which for some undergraduates is the only way to successfully obtain a higher education degree. While the OMB has refuted concerns over college students losing these federal funds, this executive order has shown once again just how vulnerable college students are.
As a sophomore working towards my undergraduate degree, I am only here today because of student loans. I remember being freshly eighteen, sitting at the kitchen table a few weeks before I left for my freshman year of college, looking at my loan options and deciding with my parents if I wanted to be done paying my student loans when I turned 35 or 45.
According to the Education Data Initiative, the average student borrower takes 20 years to pay off their student loan debt. I bring this up to express that student loans are an immense and long term financial burden. When governments even imply efforts to impede access to higher education, we border on the lines of segregation. A significant portion of students who rely on FAFSA are Black and Latino students, providing opportunities that work to bridge racial, gender and social wealth gaps.
Threatening these federal programs in the wake of anti-Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs is yet another excuse for federal actions to use trigger words and right-wing conspiracy to produce real-world implications for historically underrepresented groups.
sglisson@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @CatholicEthan, X
