The first presidential debate was held last week and it, along with the Supreme Court nomination  took up a lot of the air time in the news coming from the Hill. In the midst of that, however, the Senate passed the continuing resolution to temporarily provide funding for FY 21, and the President signed it into law to keep the government open through December 11. COVID-19 relief bill talks also continued, but no consensus was reached between the White House and the House–more on that below. Here is some other news from DC last week:

• House Passes a $2.2 Trillion COVID-19 Relief Package: The House passed a $2.2 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on Thursday. Relief talks between the House and the White House had stalled before the vote on the bill took place. This relief package is not likely to be passed in the Senate or the White House, but serves to reaffirm the House’s negotiating position. 
• New Department of Labor Grants for Key Sectors: The Department of Labor announced the availability of up to $150 million in grant funds in order to fill critical shortages in the workforce and invest in training for middle- to high-skilled occupations within key employment sectors in the economy, such as information technology and cyber security, advanced manufacturing and transportation. Fifteen to 30 grants will be awarded to help build community partnerships and increase career pathways for students. The deadline to apply is November 12, at 4PM ET. 
• 2020-21 FAFSA Released: The Department of Education released the 2020-21 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) on Thursday. This year’s form aims to provide more user-friendly features so students, families and guardians can navigate and fill out the form more easily. The Department of Education is also providing information, tools and resources in order for students to make more informed decisions about their education options.
• Webinar to Promote Adult Re-Enrollment and Completion: On Wednesday, InsideTrack hosted a webinar with five panelists to discuss how adult students can be successful when they re-enroll in secondary or postsecondary education. The topics of the conversations ranged from providing adult students with the right supports, to streamlining data systems to be in an accessible place, engaging students to increase completion rates, and more.
• Webinar on 2020 Building a Grad Nation Report: The Grad Nation Campaign hosted a webinar to explain the findings in their new 2020 Building a Grad Nation report. This campaign’s goal in 2010 was to reach an equitable 90% graduation rate by the year 2020, and their findings showed large gains, specifically among low-income, Black, Hispanic and students with disabilities populations. These findings also showed the challenges that COVID-19 has presented, and the importance of continuing the goal of reaching the 90% graduation rate equitable among all students.