December 19, 2019
Statement on the FUTURE Act

Chiefs for Change believes that all students should have reliable, affordable pathways to postsecondary success. A college degree remains the strongest stepping-stone to economic self-sufficiency for most students, especially those from low-income families. Unfortunately, more than half a million students annually forfeit the opportunity to receive federal funding for postsecondary education simply because they do not complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. We have long advocated for simplifying the FAFSA and providing greater support for students as they navigate their postsecondary options, urging Congress to take up these issues on a bipartisan basis.

Today, President Trump signed into law the FUTURE Act, bipartisan legislation that will, among other things, simplify the FAFSA by allowing the U.S. Department of Education to work with the Internal Revenue Service to automatically populate a portion of the application. By removing the burdensome income verification process from the FAFSA, many more students will likely complete the application and receive federal financial aid for their college education.

We commend the President and Congress for this important first step toward simplifying the FAFSA and putting a college education within reach for millions more Americans.