Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., has requested a response from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona explaining why the federal college loan applications for prospective American students are mired in a “bureaucratic disaster” while the applications of illegal migrants are “prioritized.”

In his letter to Cardona, sent Wednesday, Schmitt pointed out that despite having ample time and resources, the Department of Education has not successfully implemented the new, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The simplified FAFSA comes from the FAFSA Simplification Act, which passed in 2020 with the intention of streamlining the application process by reducing the number of questions from 108 to 38. Yet, according to the senator, prospective students found themselves unable to access the form until December 2023, resulting in significant delays.

Noting the lack of availability, Schmitt added that “colleges and universities did not begin to receive student data from completed applications until the end of March 2024, delaying the process further.”

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