How Congress Can Recession-Proof Public Higher Education

Economic downturns wreak havoc on public higher education, and a long-term decline in state spending is one major driver of the rising cost of college — and the attendant spike in student debt.  

In this brief, we outline how the federal government can act preemptively to “recession-proof” public higher education by harnessing its unique deficit-spending powers to smooth the volatility of state budgets and break the harmful cycle of state cuts.