WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon and U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla of California are leading a group of senators urging the U.S. Department of Education to ensure timely delivery of federal funds for two programs that support students from agricultural farmworker families.
The High School Equivalency Program and the College Assistance Migrant Program serve more than 8,000 students nationwide, providing pathways to high school completion and college success. Lawmakers said delays in administering the programs could undermine student outcomes in Oregon, California and across the country.
“HEP and CAMP programs have a 50+ year legacy of supporting students from farmworker and rural backgrounds so they can earn their High School Equivalency Diploma and succeed in college, thereby contributing to our country’s economic workforce,” the senators wrote. “We are deeply concerned that any delays in administering the HEP and CAMP programs will result in irreversible damage to our students, families, and communities.”
The lawmakers are calling on U.S. Secretary of Education Linda McMahon to quickly issue notices inviting applications for the competitive grant programs, which are funded through annual congressional appropriations.
According to the letter, HEP serves more than 6,000 students each year by helping individuals who have left high school earn a high school equivalency credential. CAMP supports about 2,400 first-year college students from migrant or seasonal farmworker families by providing academic, financial and personal support. Nearly three-quarters of CAMP participants graduate with bachelor’s degrees.
Congress appropriated $52.1 million for the programs in the fiscal year 2026 spending bill, which was signed into law by President Donald Trump. Lawmakers said federal agencies are required to distribute grant funding in a timely and consistent manner.
The senators also pointed to disruptions in fiscal year 2025, when the Department of Education canceled an ongoing grant competition for the programs. The decision resulted in the loss of 30 existing programs competing for new five-year grants and the discontinuation of 13 approved mid-cycle grants.
Lawmakers said those actions negatively affected program stability and urged the department to consider prior experience for affected programs if they apply again under a new competition.
In the letter, the senators emphasized that the department has sufficient funding available this fiscal year to conduct new grant competitions and meet statutory requirements.
Joining Merkley and Padilla in signing the letter were U.S. Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico, Adam Schiff of California, Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Ron Wyden of Oregon.
The senators urged the department to follow federal law by moving quickly to issue grant applications so the programs can continue supporting farmworker students and rural communities.
