(The Center Square) – President Donald Trump’s Department of Education is working to restore the student aid FAFSA form after the Biden administration made what should be a couple-minute long process into a days-long one.
As a part of the rehabilitation effort, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon attended a FAFSA beta-testing event iin Florida, which marks “the earliest successful test launch of the FAFSA form in history,” a U.S. Department of Education news release said.
FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It must be completed by students to secure federal student aid, according to the Department of Education.
The department told The Center Square that families completed the FAFSA form at the testing event in a matter of minutes, whereas last year under the Biden administration it took up to three days to finish.
“One year ago, not a single family had completed the FAFSA form,” the Education Department told The Center Square. This year, however, “nearly a thousand Florida families … complete[d] the form,” in one night.
“The Biden Administration deprioritized fraud prevention controls to carry out its student loan bailout,” the department told The Center Square. “Today, these fraud prevention controls have been re-implemented to protect students and families’ sensitive information.”
The Department of Education’s news release said that Florida Commissioner of Education Anastasios Kamoutsas and Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn joined Linda McMahon and the thousand students and families at the testing event.
The event “was the largest-ever first round of testing,” the release said. “The form will be available to the general public in the coming weeks, ahead of the congressionally mandated deadline.”
“Just two short years ago, students across the country were unable to access the form and schools could not process aid on time,” McMahon said in the release. “Today, nearly a thousand students and families were able to successfully complete the form in minutes.”
“Under President Trump’s leadership, our team has prioritized efficiency and simplicity to better serve American families – and we are delivering,” McMahon said.
Kamoutsas said in the release that “this early FAFSA launch is a win for every student pursuing higher education.”
“We are proud that Florida students and their families are among the first in the nation to test and shape this new, streamlined process,” Kamoutsas said.
Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Howard Hepburn said in the release that “completing the FAFSA is one of the most critical steps our students can take toward securing their future.”
“It opens doors to scholarships, grants, and financial aid that many families may not realize are available,” Hepburn said.
“U.S. Education Secretary Linda McMahon and Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas’s presence today underscores the national and state-level commitment to expanding college access and ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed,” Hepburn said.
