Big, Ugly Betrayal's Impact on Higher Education (AAUP National)

In July 2025, Republicans in Congress passed—and President Donald Trump signed into law—new provisions that will strip critical funding from our colleges and universities to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy, making a college education more unaffordable for all of us and completely unobtainable for some. The so-called Big Beautiful Bill is really a big ugly betrayal. It cuts nearly $300 billion in student aid through new caps on student and parent loans, making college less accessible for everyone. In addition to this direct attack on our work, the big, ugly betrayal cuts millions from Medicaid and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, impacting our most vulnerable students. These critical cuts to the safety net will also create difficult choices for state budget makers and could imperil much-needed state investment in higher education. Join us to unpack everything we know about the effects of this significant policy shift. We want to help affiliates create plans to meet these challenges and fight back against Trump’s vicious attacks on higher education.