What the Biden Administration Can Do Now To Make College More Affordable, Accountable, and Racially Just February 3, 2021, 12:01 am To read about actions that Congress can take, see "6 Actions Congress Should Take on Higher Education in 2021." As the pandemic rages on, Congress has a historic opportunity to reform the U.S. higher education system to meet the needs of the moment. Read the column There has perhaps never been such a critical need for a new presidential administration to tackle the problems of American higher education. President Joe Biden and Education Secretary nominee Miguel Cardona face the ravages of a pandemic and recession, growing racial inequity, and the damage done by a previous administration intent on hampering oversight, undoing student protections, and emboldening poor-quality colleges.