Fordham University’s United Student Government (USG) plans to send a letter to members of Congress next Monday, June 30, urging them to reject the H.R.1 bill titled  “The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act.” The letter was authored by USG Executive President Lucas Hjertberg, FCRH ’26, and USG Executive Vice President Andrew McDonald, FCRH ’26. It condemns the bill, which includes several funding cuts to federal programs, including student financial aid, and calls on members of Congress to oppose the bill.

“We call on you to reject this legislation, to defend the promise of education for all, and to invest in the future of this nation’s students,” the letter says.

“The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act” is a reconciliation bill that includes $1.5 trillion in spending cuts as well as additional tax cuts. It was introduced to Congress on May 20 and was passed in the House of Representatives on May 22 with a vote of 215-214. Now, it is being considered in the Senate. While it has yet to pass both houses, President Donald Trump is urging Congress members to have the bill on his desk by July 4.

The bill contains a multitude of funding cuts, including to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Medicare and Medicaid. The bill also includes $330 billion in funding cuts to higher education. Additionally, the bill will terminate subsidized loans for students and will terminate most loan repayment plans. It will also change the qualifications for Pell Grants by increasing the number of credits a student needs to be considered a full-time student from 12 to 15 credits. 

The bill “contains a number of devastating cuts to public investment in order to allow for tax breaks to those who really don’t need them,” said Hjertberg. “And to see education included in the firing line, I mean, we’ve worked for so many years to make sure that education is getting the right amount of funding, and it’s still underfunded, and to see that, to see education in the crosshairs, is crushing.”

These funding cuts will impact millions of college students across the country, according to the Center for American Progress. According to a statement sent to members of the Fordham community by USG, 55% of Fordham students will see their federal aid cut or entirely canceled as a result of the bill. The statement further explains the impacts of the bill and calls upon members of the Fordham community to take action.

“We fight for Fordham. We fight for every student chasing a dream they were told they didn’t deserve,” the statement says. “And we fight because faith without action is empty, and justice without courage is impossible. This is our charge. This is our moment. And we will not be silent.”

Hjertberg says not enough people are talking about the impact the bill will have on federal student aid. While some are being very vocal about the impacts on programs like Medicare and Medicaid, they are forgetting about education, according to Hjertberg, which is why he thought it would be beneficial to write a letter to Congress highlighting the impact the bill will have on students.

The letter was written on June 12, after which Hjertberg sent it to the rest of USG and asked people to vote on whether to sign the letter. If USG members voted not to sign the letter, he would sign it from himself and McDonald, rather than from Fordham USG as a whole. But ultimately, with three members not voting and a final vote count of 19-0, USG members voted to sign the letter.

USG Senator Audrey Shooner, FCRH ’28, voted to sign the letter and said it is important for students to use their platforms to speak on topics such as this one. 

 “I’m against this bill,” Schooner said in an email. “I morally oppose this bill. It would hurt me, and it would hurt the people I care about. If I have the chance to formally oppose it as part of an organization I’m a part of, of course I’m going to do that. It’s my responsibility, both as a person and as a representative in USG, to use the platform I have to stand against harm like this.”

Hjertberg also sent the letter to a group chat via GroupMe that contains student body presidents from universities across the country and sent it to the Jesuit Student Government Alliance in hopes of getting students from other schools to sign the letter. In total, 14 student body presidents across the country, including from the University of Pittsburgh, Santa Clara University, Michigan State University, Rutgers University-New Brunswick and more, also signed the letter. 

USG Vice President of health and security Aidan Costella, FCRH ’27 , said including students from other schools in the letter is beneficial to the letter’s success.

“I think if we’re able to gain momentum with other schools as well, I think there’s power in numbers and I think it’s important to show that students don’t agree with what’s going on,” Costella said. 

According to Hjertberg, USG plans to send the letter to several Congress members, specifically House members who typically support higher education. They will also send it to Republican House members from New York, including Nicole Malliotakis and Mike Lawler. Further, they will send the letter to all House Democrats from New York and New Jersey in order to further generate discussion among House members about the impact of the bill on higher education.

University President Tania Tetlow, who previously sent an email calling students to take action against the bill, said that she is proud of USG for standing in support of higher education, according to Jane Martinez, director of media relations.

“This is a moment when their voices can have real power, and they can make a difference,” Tetlow said in a statement to The Fordham Ram. 

Hjertberg said he hopes the letter can raise awareness among members of Congress and within the Fordham community about the impacts of this bill. Hjertberg fears that if the bill passes, dozens of universities across the country will close due to financial strain, which he says will not only impact students, but the economy as a whole. 

“This bill doesn’t only impact higher education or what some see as the ivory tower, it impacts everybody, it impacts the farmer, the guy who works at your local bodega, everybody throughout the chain,” Hjertberg said.