By IECA’s Lobbyists/Government Relations Team of Brian Finch and Craig Saperstein, Pillsbury Law and Public Policy; and the IECA Government Relations Committee
With the November 2020 general election nearly concluded, 拜登-哈里斯过渡团队已经开始确定中情局关键职位人选的初步任务, 以及为推行新政府的主要政策措施奠定基础. The Biden Transition Team has begun formal coordination with current agency officials, and now has access to direct government funding for the transition. Given President-elect Joe Biden’s campaign promises and stated policy goals, 在拜登总统任期的头几个月里，高等教育领域可能会有实质性的发展，独立的教育顾问应该意识到这一点.
Top Biden Policy Goals
Whether by executive order or through legislation, 当选总统拜登已经表示，他希望在他总统任期的头100天内解决学生债务问题. Although no specifics have been revealed by the Biden team, 潜在的缓解措施可能包括对本科生贷款减免一定数额的债务(传闻可能在10美元左右),000 to $50,000, with income-based caps), an extension of the COVID-19 forbearance period, and reduced federal interest rates on future federal loans.
拜登政府的另一项要务是重新批准高等教育法(HEA), 它建立了联邦学生援助项目，并管理着大部分流向美国高校的联邦资金. The HEA is designed to be reauthorized and updated every 5 years. However, the most recent update has not occurred since 2008. House Democrats introduced a bill, known as the College Affordability Act, to reauthorize the HEA in the current session of Congress, 但在国会下届会议之前，对HEA重新授权的行动不太可能发生.
Beyond these initial objectives, 拜登团队将教育改革作为整个总统竞选的重点. Specific to higher education, the Biden campaign promised to invest in educational pathways programs in high schools, including investing in school vocational training programs, building partnerships between high schools, 社区大学和雇主允许学生在高中时获得行业证书. 拜登团队还承诺允许佩尔助学金用于双招生项目, allowing high school students to take classes at community colleges for college credit.
利益相关者团体也一直在利用这一过渡时期来确定即将上任的拜登政府应该处理的特朗普政府的具体指令. This week, 公共和土地资助大学协会(APLU)和美国教育理事会(ACE)都向拜登过渡团队提交了他们的政策重点和建议. 他们的建议包括取消特朗普政府对H-1B签证的限制，这些限制限制了国际学生进入大学, ending the Trump executive order limiting diversity and critical race theory trainings, 终止教育部对招生实践的某些“不必要的对抗性”调查. While the Biden team has not responded to these requests, 这两个有影响力的高等教育游说组织可能有助于塑造拜登政府最初的政策目标.
Department of Education
Recently, the Biden-Harris transition team named its Agency Review Team for the Department of Education. The Review Team is led by Linda Darling-Hammond of the Learning Policy Institute, who previously served in the same role in 2008 for the Obama-Biden transition. 其他审查小组成员包括大学入学和成功研究所的负责人, the postsecondary education leader at the Center for American Progress, a senior administrator at Howard University, 优秀教育联盟政策主任以及来自中小学教育界的众多利益攸关方. 这些志愿者负责审查和了解教育部的运作, coordinating the transition of power, and preparing President-elect Biden, 当选副总统哈里斯和即将上任的政府领导人将执行关键的政策重点.
As part of the COVID-19 relief measures, federal student loan payments had been suspended through the end of 2020. 拜登-哈里斯政府曾表示希望以某种方式延长学生贷款减免. 最近，特朗普政府宣布，4100万因冻结月供而受益的美国人的助学贷款减免将延长至1月31日, 2021.
而当选总统拜登已经开始提名他的政府高级职位人选, he has not yet indicated his choice for Secretary of Education. While campaigning in 2019, Biden promised to pick a teacher for the position, but left it unclear whether this only meant a K-12 teacher, or whether he would also consider a post-secondary educator. Potential rumored candidates for the position include Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers; Lily Eskelsen García, the former president of the National Education Association; Baltimore City Schools CEO Sonja Santelises; Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson; and Philadelphia superintendent William Hite.
Regardless of who is ultimately named as Secretary of Education, 最重要的优先事项将保持不变:增加联邦政府对学校的资助，以应对COVID-19的影响, restoring Obama Administration civil rights guidance in schools, 撤销特朗普政府和德沃斯部长的许多职位和指示，恢复过去4年的资金削减.
Potential Washington Gridlock
Despite the many Biden team objectives and promises, 许多高等教育改革提案的可行性将在很大程度上取决于1月5日乔治亚州参议院决选的结果. The results of these two races will determine political control of the Senate. Victories by the Democratic candidates, Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, would give Democrats 50 seats in the Senate, along with the tiebreaking vote by Vice President Harris. If Republicans are able to win either seat, they will maintain control in the Senate. A divided Congress, 共和党控制的参议院和民主党控制的众议院, 比起民主党统一控制国会和总统，民主党对联邦高等教育政策进行彻底改革的可能性要小得多. While some of Biden’s policy objectives can be accomplished by executive order, and through Department of Education initiatives, 对参议院的控制将是拜登政府成功实现立法目标的关键. Without such control, 很有可能，参议院共和党领袖米奇•麦康奈尔(R-KY)甚至不会允许对他或参议院共和党核心小组多数反对的立法进行投票. 民主党控制的参议院将允许该党制定委员会和议会议程, though even having a majority is not a panacea; bipartisan support for higher education reform legislation will likely be necessary regardless of which party controls the Senate, 鉴于参议院规则规定，需要60票的多数票才能通过绝大多数立法.