Soon after the federal government shut down, at the stroke of midnight on Friday, Congress passed and President Trump signed a two-year, bipartisan budget deal that not only keeps the government running until late March but also provides more funding for higher-education programs.
The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 includes $4 billion for “student-centered programs that aid college completion and affordability,” according to an outline of the agreement. Details about what that actually means are few and far between, but the measure covers “programs that help police officers, teachers, and firefighters.” The bill also provides $100 million in relief for institutions in Puerto Rico.
“Students should be able to earn a college degree — especially low-income students and those who have dedicated their careers to public service, including teachers and first responders — without crushing financial burden,” said Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, the top Democrat on the Senate education committee, in a written statement. “This budget deal is a step in the right direction to addressing our country’s massive student-debt crisis.”
The deal also offers relief to Berea College, a small institution in Kentucky that has a large endowment and charges no tuition. It was hit with a 1.5-percent tax on its endowment earnings in the tax-overhaul law that was enacted in December. A provision that would have exempted the college initially appeared in the tax bill, but it was taken out after Democrats said it would violate a key Senate rule. The budget deal reinstates the exemption.
“After Senate Democrats removed Berea’s protection, I made a promise to help the students and the school,” the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said in a written statement. “In the recent Bipartisan Budget Act, Congress passed my measure to protect Berea’s students and allow the college to continue offering scholarships to more than 1,600 young people.”
Senator McConnell also appears to have provided relief in the budget legislation to Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College, whose students have a high loan-default rate, by including a provision that authorizes the education secretary to exempt colleges from the potential loss of federal Title IV funds if they operate in economically distressed areas.
Lyle D. Roelofs, president of Berea College, expressed excitement at the new law.
“We are thrilled the bill passed, not only for the direction it provides for the federal budget, but also for this relief for colleges that use their endowment to provide access to higher education,” he said.
The deal did not, however, provide a fix for immigration or those enrolled in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which angered several Democrats.
“It is not easy for me to call for a vote against a measure that includes hurricane relief for Puerto Rico, the beloved island I have visited six times since September,” said Rep. Luis V. Gutiérrez, Democrat of Illinois.
“But this is an inflection point,” he said, “where our party has to stand up to defend the weak and the vulnerable from an outrageous attack from the heartless bully in the White House who decided to deport DACA recipients.”
Adam Harris is a breaking-news reporter. Follow him on Twitter @AdamHSays or email him at adam.harris@chronicle.com.
