On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) by a vote of 215-214. The Senate is now working on its version of the bill, which includes the Senate HELP Committee’s bill text. The House-passed reconciliation bill and the Senate HELP Committee bill includes two provisions of serious concern to CGS and the graduate education community:
- Terminates the Grad PLUS Loan Program on or after July 1, 2026
- Caps Federal Unsubsidized Loans for graduate students at $20,500 annually
These provisions in the reconciliation package will do more harm than good and will put many Americans at a disadvantage. The U.S. Senate is currently drafting its own reconciliation package and has announced plans to pass the bill before the July 4th Recess.
Please contact your U.S. Senators at your earliest convenience to express your concerns about these and other higher education-related provisions in the budget reconciliation bill.