(NewsNation) — It was supposed to be streamlined and easy. That was the whole point.
President Joe Biden’s administration has spent three years trying to overhaul the federal financial aid system for millions of families wanting access to federal assistance for college.
However, the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, is riddled with delays and technical issues, making it so the U.S. Department of Education is unable to process applications on time.
Millions of families have had to wait weeks and even months for their federal aid packages.
Michael Bruni, a guidance counselor at Shaker High School in Latham, New York, says the new FAFSA this year was designed to be shorter, with fewer questions, and easier to complete.
However, “delays are coming from the website not processing the way it should,” he told NewsNation.
The education department debacle has lawmakers on both sides of the aisle sounding the alarm.
“We should take a look at the situation and make sure any problems that occurred that create challenges for our young people pursuing assistance in terms of their efforts at higher education are resolved,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, said at a news conference.
Sen. Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said students might forgo college altogether because they don’t know if they can afford it.
“This is a clear failing of the Department of Education,” Cassidy said.
In response to a request from congressional Republicans, the Government Accountability Office is now planning on opening two investigations, the agency confirmed to NewsNation. One will look at the technology behind the program, and the other will focus on its general planning and rollout.
Earlier in June, the GAO released a report noting the Education Department had some issues with the cost and scheduling of the new FAFSA program.
As of late February, only 4 million students had completed their forms — about half as many as this time last year.
Earlier this month, clearly under pressure, the Department of Education announced it would provide additional resources to help students and schools through these FAFSA issues, including giving college financial aid offices up to $50 million to help speed up the backlog.
“We are determined to get this right. We must, and we will,” U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona said in a statement.
