Updates Related to Federal Orders, Policies and Regulations
Updates Related to New Federal Orders, Policies, and Regulations
In January 2025, new presidential and congressional leadership in Washington D.C. began issuing memos, regulations, and executive orders, including some with the potential to impact our work and community at Carroll Community College. The implications of many of these measures are unclear and will likely depend on how they are interpreted and applied, both by agencies and, ultimately, the courts. The College will post information and updates to this page, and we ask that students, faculty and staff check back often for updates.
Campus Messages
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are no longer restricted from carrying out immigration actions at Carroll’s facilities, but they must abide by the constitutional rights of all students and employees as a part of a federal law enforcement agency subject to federal law. Local authorities cannot be compelled to assist ICE officials, but they may not interfere with federal authorities in the course of their duties. In the unlikely, but possible, event that ICE officials come to the Carroll campus to seek information, request access, or enforce immigration laws, employees should immediately call Campus Police (x8123). Additional guidance is detailed below.
- Employees should treat ICE officials politely and respectfully. They should not lie to ICE officials, nor provide them with false information.
- If an employee becomes aware that immigration enforcement actions are occurring at a College facility, they should ask ICE officials to wait for them to contact Campus Police, and then immediately call Campus Police (x8123).
- If federal authorities decline to wait for Campus Police, the employee should notify Campus Police of this fact but not attempt to intervene.
- State and federal laws, including the Federal Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), limit the information that can be given to law enforcement authorities without a subpoena or warrant. Employees therefore should not provide outside authorities with any individual student or employee information without first contacting Campus Police.
- If ICE or any other external agency contacts an employee via email with a request for student or employee information, the employee should not respond, but instead immediately contact the President’s Office (x8180 or presidentsoffice@carrollcc.edu).
To assist those in need of support regarding immigration matters specifically, several organizations and state offices in Maryland provide information on individual rights related to citizenship, immigration status, and enforcement of federal laws. Examples of such offices and groups include:
Information by Topic
- February 14: The Office of Management and Budget issued a Dear Colleague Letter stating that it would remove federal funding from institutions that utilize DEI.
- March 7: President Trump signed the executive order, Restoring Public Service Loan Forgiveness, aiming to disqualify borrowers from applying for student loan forgiveness if they work for organizations that do not align with the administration’s priorities.
- March 11: The Department of Education greatly downsizes in its first Reduction in Force (RIF).
- March 14: Congress averted a government shutdown for the third time by passing a continuing resolution, which funded the rest of FY25 (until Sept. 30, 2025) at FY24 levels.
- March 20: President Trump signed the executive order, Improving Education Outcomes by Empowering Parents, States, and Communities, to close the Department of Education.
- April 23: President Trump signed the executive order, Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future, aiming to reach over 1 million new apprentices.
- April 23: President Trump signed the executive order, Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education, which seeks to open the accreditation field to new accreditors.
- May 2: President Trump unveiled the President’s budget request, which proposed major cuts and eliminations to education programming.
- May 21: Departments of Education and Labor make an Interagency Agreement to transfer career and technical education (CTE), adult education, and family literacy programs to the Department of Labor.
- July 1: Funds that were expected to go out were withheld as a result of placing programs under review.
- July 4: House of Representatives Bill 1 (H.R. 1), the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, became law.
- July 28: Most of the withheld funds were released.
- July 31: Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and related agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill, aiming to level fund most education programming.
- September 9: House Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2026 LHHS appropriations bill, featuring cuts or eliminations to Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS), Adult Basic Education (ABE), Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG), and Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).
- September 30: Most CCAMPIS, SIP, and three federally funded initiatives to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds (TRIO) funds were awarded. The TRIO now includes eight distinct programs.
- October 1: The Federal Government shuts down.
- October 10: The Department of Education conducted a second RIF that terminated most higher education programs’ grant staff.
Fiscal Year 2026 Appropriations
- FY2025 levels set by year-long Continuing Resolution passed by Congress in March 2025, funding the rest of FY 2025 at FY 2024 levels.
- Presidential Budget Request unveiled in May 2025.
- Request featured significant cuts to education programs:
- Eliminations (TRIO), Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP), CCAMPIS, SIP, SEOG, ABE, Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE).
- Congress typically views the President’s budget as a suggestion and implements a different vision for funding.
- The Senate Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill on July 31, 2025, which aims to level fund most education programming.
- The Senate did propose a $5 million cut to SIP, while increasing the Post Secondary Student Success Grant by $5 million.
- In the midst of this current government shutdown, Senate Democrats are willing to vote for the Defense appropriations bill as long as it is paired with the LHHS bill.
- The House Appropriations Committee passed its version on September 9, 2025. This LHHS appropriations bill features an overall 7 percent funding decrease for the LHHS spending cap. This includes funding eliminations to CCAMPIS, ABE, and SEOG; funding reductions to SIP and Federal Work Study (FWS); and funding increases to CTE.
Government Shutdown
- Day 23 of the government shutdown.
- House Republicans passed CR to avert shutdown until November 21.
- Senate Republicans unable to get 60 votes; shutdown resulted.
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB) decides what activities can or cannot continue.
- Trump administration initiated permanent layoffs of government workers (temporarily blocked by court).
- Unclear when government will reopen.
Government Shutdown Overview
- Ongoing Activities: Pell Grant disbursement, student loan origination and collection, Free Application for Federal Student Aid. (FAFSA) access, call center operations, Federal Student Aid remains open, negotiated rule-making for the Reconsideration of Institutional and Student Eligibility (RISE) Committee, and existing grants can still be drawn down.
- Paused Activities: Grant making, civil rights investigations, and responses to inquiries from the Department (including program officers for grant recipients).
Note: Longer shutdowns increase the likelihood of program and agency closures, potentially impacting colleges and students. Head Start programs have reported funding shortages at month-end.
Reconciliation – H.R. 1
Provisions in H.R. 1:
- Established Workforce Pell Grants (start July 1, 2026).
- Resolved Pell Grant shortfall.
- Changed Pell Grant program and need analysis.
- Changed Federal Student Loans space.
- New accountability tool based on earnings metric.
Excluded Provisions:
- Risk sharing.
- Increasing full-time Pell eligibility from 12 to 15 hours.
- Elimination of subsidized Federal Student Loans.
Workforce Pell Grants
- Workforce programs (8–15 weeks, 150–599 clock hours) eligible for Pell Grants.
- Programs must exist for at least one year before eligibility and align with high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand sectors.
- Must lead to stackable, recognized credentials and meet hiring requirements.
- Completion rate: 70% within 150% of program time; job placement rate: 70% within 180 days post-completion.
- Earnings cannot exceed value-added earnings of graduates three years prior.
- Workforce Pell begins July 1, 2026; the Education Department will have limited role in negotiations.
Changes to Federal Student Loan Program
- Restructures loan program; sets loan limits based on enrollment intensity.
- Part-time students will only access part-time loans.
- Institutions may set lower borrowing limits by program, especially related to cohort default rates (CDR).
Accountability Metric for Student Loan Participation
- Introduces a “gainful employment for all” model limiting federal student loans to programs meeting a low-earnings outcome metric.
- Low-earning programs: graduates earning no more than high school median within 2–3 years post-graduation.
- Department of Education will measure program level using state census data.
- Institutions must notify students if programs fail to meet the metric.
- Programs can appeal and continue offering loans during appeal.
- Programs failing the metric may reapply after two years.
Reinterpretation of Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA)
- New interpretation makes undocumented immigrants ineligible for CTE and ABE.
- U.S. District Court granted preliminary injunction.
- Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) and partners sent letter to Secretary McMahon for clarification.
Executive Order – Improving Education Outcomes
- Signed March 20, 2025.
- Directs steps toward closing the Department of Education within legal limits.
- Student loans under the Office of Federal Student Aid would move to the Small Business Administration (requires Congressional approval).
- Cabinet-level department closure needs Congressional action.
- Interagency agreement shifts administration of CTE, adult education, and family literacy programs to the Department of Labor.
- Discussions underway on selling the student loan portfolio.
Executive Order – Preparing Americans for Skilled Trade Jobs
- Signed April 23, 2025.
- Orders review of all federal workforce development programs within 90 days and report to the White House.
- Aims to expand Registered Apprenticeship programs and surpass 1 million new apprentices.
- Focus on transparency and reporting of outcomes.
- August 12: Workforce strategy unveiled with five pillars, including streamlined programs, apprenticeship expansion, and AI adaptation.
Executive Order – Reforming Accreditation
- Signed April 23, 2025.
- Forbids accreditors from implementing DEI standards.
- Seeks to make accreditation recognition more efficient and open the field to new agencies.
- Encourages institutions to switch accrediting bodies to align with their missions.
- Lifts moratorium on admitting new accreditors and expedites review of applications.
Executive Order: Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity
Executive Order: Ending Radical And Wasteful Government DEI Programs And Preferencing
U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Letter
Frequently Asked Questions on Dear Colleague Letter About Racial Preferencing
The College is monitoring this situation closely and will follow federal and state laws and regulations.
UPDATE: OMB Memorandum M-25-13 has been rescinded.
Memorandum:
Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs
Executive Order: Executive Order on Title IX
Executive Order: Protecting the American People Against Invasion
Protecting the American People Against Invasion requires the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to review contracts, grants, and agreements between the federal government and “non-governmental organizations supporting or providing services, either directly or indirectly, to removable or illegal aliens.”
Separately, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a directive that rescinded a long-standing policy that identified schools, hospitals, and churches as “sensitive locations” and limited them from immigration enforcement actions. As a result, Immigration and Customs Enforcement will no longer treat these “sensitive locations,” including college campuses, any differently from other locations.
The Department of Justice has instructed federal prosecutors to pursue charges against state or local officials who attempt to thwart federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The College is monitoring the situation.