DC TAG and big brutal bill

[Anonymous]

Any update on DCTAG 2025-26 commitment to the universities? DC's financial aid for Fall 25 has not been committed to the university, although DCTAG was approved and approval letter DC forwarded to university.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I expect the income cap is mostly symbolic. How many families making over $525k per year (in DC or the MD/VA suburbs) would even allow their child to apply to a state school?

Ew.

[Anonymous]

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Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

Not to mention it's intended to provide an alternative for DC residents to state schools, which don't have income limits.

+1 They also didn’t grandfather in HS students when they cut it from $1M to something like $520k in one year. We got majorly screwed because we were just over the cutoff. We could have moved if we’d known.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I expect the income cap is mostly symbolic. How many families making over $525k per year (in DC or the MD/VA suburbs) would even allow their child to apply to a state school?

Ew.

Plenty — I’m in that strata.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

Not to mention it's intended to provide an alternative for DC residents to state schools, which don't have income limits.

+1 They also didn’t grandfather in HS students when they cut it from $1M to something like $520k in one year. We got majorly screwed because we were just over the cutoff. We could have moved if we’d known.

Honestly curious, if you make that much money, the $10k from TAG makes enough of a difference that you would move? I know every dollar saved counts, but I can’t imagine that amount of money making a family that wealthy uproot and move?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

Not to mention it's intended to provide an alternative for DC residents to state schools, which don't have income limits.

+1 They also didn’t grandfather in HS students when they cut it from $1M to something like $520k in one year. We got majorly screwed because we were just over the cutoff. We could have moved if we’d known.

Honestly curious, if you make that much money, the $10k from TAG makes enough of a difference that you would move? I know every dollar saved counts, but I can’t imagine that amount of money making a family that wealthy uproot and move?

Yes, it doesn't seem like a logical reaction. Transaction costs and moving costs alone would far exceed the TAG benefit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

Not to mention it's intended to provide an alternative for DC residents to state schools, which don't have income limits.

+1 They also didn’t grandfather in HS students when they cut it from $1M to something like $520k in one year. We got majorly screwed because we were just over the cutoff. We could have moved if we’d known.

Honestly curious, if you make that much money, the $10k from TAG makes enough of a difference that you would move? I know every dollar saved counts, but I can’t imagine that amount of money making a family that wealthy uproot and move?

The only way I can see it is multiple kids headed to college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

Not to mention it's intended to provide an alternative for DC residents to state schools, which don't have income limits.

+1 They also didn’t grandfather in HS students when they cut it from $1M to something like $520k in one year. We got majorly screwed because we were just over the cutoff. We could have moved if we’d known.

Honestly curious, if you make that much money, the $10k from TAG makes enough of a difference that you would move? I know every dollar saved counts, but I can’t imagine that amount of money making a family that wealthy uproot and move?

Yes, it doesn't seem like a logical reaction. Transaction costs and moving costs alone would far exceed the TAG benefit.

+1

Especially since most people in that income range spend at least 10k a year on their kids education already- be it through private school, tutoring, travel sports, SAT prep classes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

Not to mention it's intended to provide an alternative for DC residents to state schools, which don't have income limits.

+1 They also didn’t grandfather in HS students when they cut it from $1M to something like $520k in one year. We got majorly screwed because we were just over the cutoff. We could have moved if we’d known.

Honestly curious, if you make that much money, the $10k from TAG makes enough of a difference that you would move? I know every dollar saved counts, but I can’t imagine that amount of money making a family that wealthy uproot and move?

Maybe she means she would have moved years sooner.

I’m about to make a decision on HS for my kid and the uncertainty about TAG may definitely be an important factor in opting for VA or MD over JR.

[Anonymous]

It saved us $120k. You might think that’s peanuts but we don’t.

There are no educational benefits to living in DC for doughnut hole families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It saved us $120k. You might think that’s peanuts but we don’t.

There are no educational benefits to living in DC for doughnut hole families.

What is a doughnut hole family?

Again, if the alternative was an exact same priced house and public school in VA and DC I guess, but if you go to even just a few years of private school with one kid that cost is cancelled out, and/or needing to pay more to buy the house in the suburbs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The newest appropriations bill (https://appropriations.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/republicans-appropriations.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/fy26-financial-services-and-general-government-subcommittee-mark.pdf) has it cut to 20million from 40 million as it has been since 2016.

Martin Austermuhle wrote that the bill actually increases the payment per student from $10K to $15K: https://x.com/maustermuhle/status/1947063479367499880

This is also true.

Yup, both true. The upshot, I assume, is that the HHI cap on eligibility will come down significantly.

Well, I mean, I'm not against that.

PP here, and I am! The benefit was originally meant for all DC residents. Setting income eligibility thresholds creates administrative burdens (making it more cumbersome to administer and harder for the people who are eligible to actually get the benefit). It also tends to drive down support for a benefit. There’s a reason Medicare is much harder to cut than Medicaid!

There is likely already no public support outside of D.C. for this benefit. Personally, I would support it even if my household is no longer eligible for it, but I also don’t get to vote for a lawmaker who has a vote on the matter in either chamber, so who cares what I think about it?

Because DC residents need to make noise when the federal government takes things away from us.

Sure, but what’s the incentive for anyone in the federal government to listen? Literally the only thing we can do is make noise.

Yes, correct. Make enough noise, sometimes it gets results. Doing nothing will definitely result in nothing.

Also, play the long game. The 2025 recission of DC budget dollars got a lot of attention. People around the country now know about it and understood that it was wrong. If/when Democrats are back in power, ensuring they understand the issues DC faces and the wrongs they have to right will be important.

They understood it was wrong, but -- even though the Senate and the White House both wanted to fix it -- nothing changed. So I'm not totally sure anything was accomplished. And I don't think anyone would actually shut the government down specifically over D.C. (I'm not even sure I'd advocate for that, all other things being equal).

We have almost no ability to protect the District from a Congress and a president that want to mess with it, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It saved us $120k. You might think that’s peanuts but we don’t.

There are no educational benefits to living in DC for doughnut hole families.

What is a doughnut hole family?

Again, if the alternative was an exact same priced house and public school in VA and DC I guess, but if you go to even just a few years of private school with one kid that cost is cancelled out, and/or needing to pay more to buy the house in the suburbs.

Not sure what part of “no notice” you don’t understand?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It saved us $120k. You might think that’s peanuts but we don’t.

There are no educational benefits to living in DC for doughnut hole families.

What is a doughnut hole family?

Again, if the alternative was an exact same priced house and public school in VA and DC I guess, but if you go to even just a few years of private school with one kid that cost is cancelled out, and/or needing to pay more to buy the house in the suburbs.

Not sure what part of “no notice” you don’t understand?

I was referring to the comment below - honestly just don’t know what doughnut hole family means…

“It saved us $120k. You might think that’s peanuts but we don’t.

There are no educational benefits to living in DC for doughnut hole families.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any update on DCTAG 2025-26 commitment to the universities? DC's financial aid for Fall 25 has not been committed to the university, although DCTAG was approved and approval letter DC forwarded to university.

It was applied to my kid's fall tuition bill, thank goodness.