May 20, 2025

Warren, 27 Senators Push for Full Funding to the Office of Federal Student Aid As Trump Admin Works To Dismantle Education Department

FSA is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation and oversees a $1.6 trillion student loan program.

“Congress has a responsibility to pass laws and appropriate funding to support agencies that help the American people.”

Text of Letter (PDF)

Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and 27 members of the U.S. Senate sent a letter to Senator Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Chair of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies, and Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, urging them to provide “the highest possible amount of funding” to the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) in fiscal year (FY) 2026.

“Increasing funding for FSA this fiscal year is particularly critical given that FSA’s funding has been stagnant for the past three fiscal years, severely undermining FSA’s ability to implement critical programs,” said the senators. “These challenges have been worsened by the Trump Administration’s illegal attack on the Department, including drastic cuts to its workforce and proposed outsourcing of ED responsibilities to other agencies.” 

FSA is the largest provider of student financial aid in the nation, serving over 46 million people and overseeing a $1.6 trillion student loan program. While FSA improved the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025–2026 school year, it is vital that FSA have the necessary staff and funding to ensure that students and families experience a smooth and stress-free process while applying for financial aid. 

“The lack of adequate resources creates more barriers for students to start and continue their education,” the senators continued.

FSA is also managing the return to repayment for student loan borrowers whose payments were paused during the pandemic, which has been made more difficult by the Trump Administration's cuts.

“FSA’s responsibilities have increased to protect students and borrowers, but its federal funding has remained stagnant. The lack of adequate resources creates more barriers for students to start and continue their education,” concluded the senators. “We believe this funding request is needed to provide FSA with the resources it needs to fulfill its goal of ensuring that all eligible students and families can access federal student grants, loans, and work-study funds to pursue education and training beyond high school.

The list of signers include: Senators Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Andy Kim (D-N.J.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), Chris Coons (D-Del.), Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.).

Senator Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign in a coordinated effort to fight back against President Trump’s attempts to abolish the Department of Education:

  • On May 14, 2025, Senator Warren led a Senate forum entitled “Stealing the American Dream: How Trump and Republicans Are Raising Education Costs for Families,” highlighting the consequences of Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education (ED) and President Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” for working- and middle-class students and borrowers.
  • On May 13, 2025, Senator Warren agreed to meet with Education Secretary Linda McMahon and promised to bring questions and stories from Americans across the country to highlight how the Trump administration’s attacks on education are hurting American families.
  • On May 6, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the consequences of President Trump and Secretary Linda McMahon’s reckless dismantling of the Department of Education for American families in a Senate forum.
  • On April 24, 2025, Senator Warren launched a new investigation into the harms of President Trump’s attacks on the Department of Education, seeking information on the impact of the Trump administration’s actions from the members of twelve leading organizations representing schools, parents, teachers, students, borrowers, and researchers.
  • On April 10, 2025, following a request led by Senator Warren, the Department of Education’s Acting Inspector General agreed to open an investigation into the Trump administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
  • On April 2, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Mazie Hirono, along with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, sent a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Department of Government Efficiency’s proposed plan to replace the Department of Education’s federal student aid call centers with generative artificial intelligence chatbots.
  • On April 2, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren launched the Save Our Schools campaign to fight back against the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle the Department of Education (ED) and highlight the consequences for every student and public school in America.
  • On March 27, 2025, Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) led a letter to Acting Department of Education Inspector General (IG) René Rocque requesting that the IG conduct an investigation of the Trump Administration’s attempts to dismantle the Department of Education.
  • On March 20, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders led a letter to Secretary of Education Linda McMahon regarding the Trump Administration’s decision to slash the capacity of Federal Student Aid to handle student aid complaints.
  • On February 24, 2025, in a response to Senator Warren, Secretary McMahon gave her first public admission that she “wholeheartedly” agreed with Trump’s plans to abolish the Department of Education.
  • On February 11, 2025, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim sent Linda McMahon, Secretary-Designate for the U.S. Department of Education, a 12-page letter with 65 questions on McMahon's policy views in advance of her nomination hearing.

###