Roger Marshall

05/02/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/02/2024 12:49

Senator Marshall Goes to Senate Floor on National College Decision Day As Millions of Students’ Futures Remain in Limbo.

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. spoke on the Senate Floor on National College Decision Day. Today, millions of students' futures are in limbo due to the Department of Educations botched FAFSA Application process.

In Kansas alone, thousands of students have been affected by the new FAFSA roll out failures.

For months, Senator Marshall has written letters demanding answers and updates from the Department of Education, Senator Marshall has also hosted roundtables with colleges and universities across the state, and offered assistance to Kansans struggling with their application.

You may click HERE or on the image above to watch Senator Marshall's full remarks.

Highlights from Senator Marshall's remarks include:

"Today should be a day of celebration. National College Decision Day marks a pivotal moment in the lives of millions of students across the country. A day that many of us still remember ourselves is meant to be a day of excitement and anticipation of young men and women's bright futures ahead. But instead, I rise today frustrated and disappointed."

"As we stand here today, 17 million hopeful students are victims of the Biden administration's bureaucratic nightmare. Students' futures are in limbo, and their decisions for higher education are stalled as they continue their months-long wait for answers on the federal financial assistance that will be available to them. Millions of families nationwide rely on the FAFSA process to unlock the doors to higher education. Still, the Department of Education has left 82% of them unable to even submit their FAFSA applications for consideration. 82% of them can't complete the form."

"These repeated months of delays by the Department of Education and rolling out the new FAFSA application have left millions of students and schools in limbo with no clear path forward for the upcoming school year."

"I stand here today as a very lucky person, a first generation college student myself who went to a community college and I certainly understand the struggles of those who are waiting to get into college wondering if they can afford and where they can afford to go to. The help these students and colleges are waiting for from the Department of Education isn't just on loans, it's also on scholarships and grants."

"My colleagues and I have called on this administration to allocate the resources they're using to connect their student loan forgiveness scheme to help our FAFSA applicants and address the FAFSA app delays to help deliver certainty to our students and families. We've written letters, we've hosted hearings, we've sponsored legislation."

"We're no closer to an answer on FAFSA today than we were when we started. This is why we need changes this November, not only in the White House but in the Department of Education. They need to reassess their priorities and their propaganda and their politics. Our students deserve better. And it's time to reset and focus on the real priorities at the Department of Education. The futures of our young men and women are at stake. Time is of the essence."