Merkley, Wyden, Padilla, Bonamici, Bipartisan Colleagues Urge Administration to Release $52.1 Million in Federal Education Funds for Agricultural Farmworker Students

Washington, D.C. - Oregon's U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden, California's U.S. Senator Alex Padilla, and U.S. Representative Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) today led 26 lawmakers to demand Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russell Vought and Education Secretary Linda McMahon immediately release $52,123,000 for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP), which support educational opportunities for agricultural farmworker students.

"Continuing and potential new grantees, all of which are colleges and non-profit organizations, were slated to receive funding and begin providing support to students by July 1 but have yet to receive the funding that Congress provided earlier this year," the lawmakers wrote to Director Vought and Secretary McMahon. "We understand the Department of Education informed HEP and CAMP leaders in June that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was reviewing these programs, but grantees have not received follow up information as to when the funds will be released, which has imposed challenges on individuals and families served by these programs and applicants and grantees (and their employees) impacted by the uncertainty and delay."

Across the nation, HEP and CAMP programs serve more than 8,000 students from agricultural farmworker families. The failure to release this previously allocated funding threatens to undermine the students' success.

In a 2024 report to Congress, HEP and CAMP showed that the percentage of HEP participants who received a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) increased by 4.2 percentage points from FY 2021 to FY 2022, and 84 percent of HSED recipients entered postsecondary education or training programs, attained upgraded employment, or entered the military. And CAMP exceeded the national retention rates for first-time college freshmen returning in their second year.

"We should strive to retain more students enrolled in college, just as CAMP programs have achieved. These are results that can help strengthen the economy for agricultural farmworker families and rural communities," they emphasized.

In addition to Merkley, Wyden, Padilla, and Bonamici, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Angus King (I-ME), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Gary Peters (D-MI), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and U.S. Representatives Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Melanie Stansbury (NM-01), Deborah Ross (NC-02), Angie Craig (MN-02), Scott Peters (CA-50), Raul Ruiz, M.D. (CA-25), Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Dwight Evans (PA-03), and Chellie Pingree (ME-01).

Full text of the letter can be found by clicking here and follows below:

Dear Director Vought and Secretary McMahon:

We write today to express our strong support for the High School Equivalency Program (HEP) and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). We urge you to implement the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, which President Trump signed into law and requires $52,123,000 to be used for carrying out CAMP and HEP. This funding is necessary to ensure these educational programs provide critical access to educational opportunities for agricultural farmworker students.

Continuing and potential new grantees, all of which are colleges and non-profit organizations, were slated to receive funding and begin providing support to students by July 1 but have yet to receive the funding that Congress provided earlier this year. We understand the Department of Education informed HEP and CAMP leaders in June that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was reviewing these programs, but grantees have not received follow up information as to when the funds will be released, which has imposed challenges on individuals and families served by these programs and applicants and grantees (and their employees) impacted by the uncertainty and delay.

HEP helps students who have dropped out of high school get their High School Equivalency Credential and serves more than 6,000 students annually. CAMP assists students in their first year of college with academic, personal, and financial support, and serves approximately 2,400 participants annually. Overall, nearly three-quarters of all CAMP students graduate with baccalaureate degrees.

The HEP/CAMP FY 2024 Report to Congress shows that despite the challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of HEP participants who received a High School Equivalency Diploma (HSED) increased by 4.2 percentage points from FY 2021 to FY 2022 and 84 percent of HSED recipients entered postsecondary education or training programs, attained upgraded employment, or entered the military.

Similarly, the CAMP program is achieving results for students. The HEP/CAMP FY 2024 Report to Congress shows that "Despite pandemic-related challenges, in both fiscal years[2021 and 2022], CAMP exceeded the national retention rates for first time college freshmen returning in their second year." We should strive to retain more students enrolled in college, just as CAMP programs have achieved. These are results that can help strengthen the economy for agricultural farmworker families and rural communities.

HEP and CAMP programs rely on this funding to serve more than 8,000 students across the country. We urge the administration to release this previously allocated funding. We look forward to working with you to make this funding available as soon as possible.

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