Heading into the Nov. 3 midterm election, Republicans controlled the White House and both chambers of Congress, and all 435 House seats and 35 Senate seats were on the ballot. Democrats won control of Congress, giving them a potential check on President Donald Trump’s higher education agenda.
Pressure Is Already Building
In September, the administration rescinded $810 million of funds allocated by Congress for education and health care, including $70 million earmarked for international students. The Department of Homeland Security has proposed a $70,000 fee on a work authorization program for international students. The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has also warned colleges against using data from a national student voting study, threatening to withhold or claw back federal funding, according to an American Council on Education (ACE) issue brief. ACE says ED has not found any privacy violation.
The White House defended the September cuts in a news release. “These programs have deviated from their core mission and instead support wasteful and divisive projects, including doctoral dissertations on queer and trans community-building in foreign countries,” the release reads.
What Divided Government Could Mean
Jon Fansmith, a senior vice president at ACE, told the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) that Democrats were likely to retake the House. Even partial control, he said, carries weight.
“Frankly, controlling both chambers doesn’t necessarily add that much when the opposition holds the White House,” Fansmith said. “Really, control of one chamber is all that’s really necessary to start throwing a lot of sand in the gears of the administration.”
Former Rep. Susan Wild (D-Pa.) told APCO, a public affairs and strategic communications consulting firm, that a Democratic House would likely focus on affordability, including larger Pell grants, and on vigorous oversight of ED, though the president must sign any new bills.
Analysts caution against expecting dramatic change. Frederick Hess of the American Enterprise Institute believes Democrats won’t pass much.
“There’s likely to be changes as a result of oversight and pushback, but on something like student aid, outside of maybe at the edges of some of the rulemaking, there’s unlikely to be any change for the next two years,” Hess said.
The December Deadline
Federal funding runs out Dec. 11 under a stopgap measure that holds student aid at fiscal 2026 levels, NASFAA reports. If the current Congress doesn’t finish a budget, incoming members will, and Democrats’ new majorities give them more leverage. Ross had expected another stopgap into early 2027, and Wild agreed full-year spending bills were unlikely.
The Pell Grant program faces a projected shortfall of nearly $17 billion by the end of fiscal 2027, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Accounting firm RSM calls federal funding volatility the top risk for educational institutions and nonprofits.
Students Hold Part of the Answer
About two-thirds of college students said they were extremely likely to vote, according to a CIRCLE survey, and 62% identified as Democrats compared with 26% as Republicans. Their top concern is the cost of living.
American Federation of Teachers (AFT) leaders urged members to make the stakes explicit. “Higher education must be a key issue in the 2026 midterms, and we’re ready to make sure that happens,” said James C. Davis, AFT vice president.
With the votes in, answers will come quickly. The December funding deadline arrives weeks after Election Day, and a Democratic-controlled Congress takes its seats in January.
