'An absolute disaster': Internet slams Federal Student Aid officer Richard Cordray for stepping down following catastrophic FAFSA overhaul

WASHINGTON, DC:  On Friday, April 26, the Secretary of Education announced that the head of the Biden administration’s Federal Student Aid office will be stepping down.

The decision was made following the troubled launch of the revised Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) program, which has been plagued by glitches and delays.

As a result, millions of students have been unable to receive timely updates on the amount of money they will need to attend college in the upcoming fall semester, according to the New York Post. 

Education Secretary Miguel Cardona stated that Richard Cordray, the country's top student aid official, will continue in his role until June 2024.

What did Secretary of Education say in official statement regarding dismissal?

Miguel Cardona wrote on X regarding Richard Cordray’s removal from post, “We are grateful for Rich Cordray’s 3 years of service, in which he accomplished more transformational changes to the student aid system than any of his predecessors.”

“Rich will conclude his tenure at FSA at the end of June and will serve as Chief Operating Officer until then, we thank Rich for his tireless work and commitment to providing the service that our students, families and institutions deserve,” the Education Secretary added.

The FAFSA Simplification Act of 2019 was approved by Congress to simplify the financial aid application form for students to determine their eligibility efficiently.

However, Richard Cordray's office missed the deadline of October 1st, 2023, by three months to implement the new form.

Moreover, the new online form was plagued with bugs that not only locked students out of the application but also provided incorrect financial calculations.

These postponements and undesirable technical issues have led to uncertainty for millions of students regarding their enrollment status and have denied millions of American households access to financial relief information on time. 

In light of the persistent issues with FAFSA, Cardona reached out to colleges and universities last month, encouraging them to “reconsider aid application deadlines” to ensure that “all students have time to submit and correct their FAFSA forms.”

Additionally, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.) have called for an investigation into whether funds designated for the FAFSA form overhaul were misappropriated, including being diverted to President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan.

Earlier this month, Senators Ernst and Letlow wrote in a letter to the Office of the Inspector General for the Education Department, “It remains unclear whether those funds were used to promote an efficient overhaul of the FAFSA form or for other projects, specifically the $153 billion in student loan ‘forgiveness’ approved to date.”

In all, more than 5,500 colleges and universities and almost 17 million students benefit from FAFSA.

Internet furious as head of Federal Student Aid office steps down over disastrous FAFSA implementation

One X user wrote, "Considering Cordray’s horrendous performance at the CFPB, it not surprising the FAFSA overhaul self-destructed."

Another user said, "Finally. An absolute disaster."

Another user asked, "Is there anyone competent in Biden’s administration? Seems from the President on down its free for all."

One user claimed, "The FAFSA failure should be a bigger story."

Another X user remarked, "There's literally nothing the Biden Administration won't f**k up."

Finally, this user tweeted, "How are you grateful for someone doing a terrible job bruh."

 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.