AAU joined ACE and eight other higher education associations on a letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to provide at least $120 billion in new federal pandemic aid for colleges and universities. The associations say that the funding would address problems stemming from decreased revenue and increased expenses, waning enrollment, and previously underestimated costs of operating campuses safely. The funding would also help offset the effects of cuts to state funding, aid current and future students, and prevent further furloughs and layoffs for college and university staff. If these issues are not addressed, the “ramifications will linger for years, well after [the United States] has recovered from COVID-19,” the letter says.