Senator Murray Urges Senate to Take Up FUTURE Act; Continues Call for Comprehensive Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act
Murray: The Senate must “pass the bipartisan FUTURE Act instead of playing politics with valuable and under-resourced institutions.”
Murray: The FUTURE Act will “give us time to work out a permanent fix for funding for HBCUs, tribal colleges, and minority-serving institutions through a comprehensive HEA reauthorization—which is what I’ve been clear is necessary.”
Murray: “…any reauthorization of the Higher Education Act needs to have real answers to the challenges students are facing on affordability, access, accountability, and campus safety.”
***Watch Senator Murray’s Speech HERE***
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Patty Murray, ranking member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), urged the Senate to prevent a lapse in funding for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions by passing the FUTURE Act, a bipartisan bill that has already passed the House.
Senator Murray also continued to call for a comprehensive reauthorization of the Higher Education Act that includes real answers to challenges students face on affordability, access, accountability and campus safety, as well as permanent funding for HBCUs and minority institutions. Senator Murray emphasized that the FUTURE Act would ensure that HBCUs and minority-serving institutions receive the funding they need in the interim. If funding expires on September 30th, colleges and universities will need to make staffing and programming decisions and, as with any loss of grant funding, will immediately begin to consider layoffs, program eliminations, cuts to academic support services, and more.
Senator Murray’s full speech:
“M. President, what we’re seeing here today really disappoints me.”
“We have a straightforward opportunity to prevent a critical part of our higher education system—HBCUs, tribal colleges, and other minority-serving institutions—from having to deal with a lapse in funding. We should take it.”
“This is bipartisan legislation. It’s passed the House. There is no good reason to delay it a minute longer in the Senate.”
“So I want to thank the Senator from Alabama for his leadership on this and express my strong support for the FUTURE Act, which will give us time to work out a permanent fix for funding for HBCUs, tribal colleges, and minority-serving institutions through a comprehensive HEA reauthorization—which is what I’ve been clear is necessary.”
I appreciate what the Senator from Tennessee said about moving forward with Higher Education reauthorization. I am hopeful we can continue to work on reaching a compromise as you and I have done several times before on other pieces of legislation. “
As I have said before, I believe any reauthorization of the Higher Education Act needs to have real answers to the challenges students are facing on affordability, access, accountability, and campus safety. I truly believe we have an opportunity to get a comprehensive bill done that helps solve these challenges for our students. So I hope the Senator from Tennessee and our colleagues on the HELP Committee can continue continuing to focus on our efforts there.”
Meanwhile, let’s listen to Senator from Alabama and pass the bipartisan FUTURE Act instead of playing politics with valuable and under-resourced institutions.”
Thank you and I yield the floor.”
Watch Senator Murray’s speech HERE.
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