Sen. Edward Kennedy, chairman of the Senate's education committee, underwent "successful" brain surgery yesterday to remove part of his incurable cancer. He is expected to be absent from the Senate for weeks (and possibly months) as he recovers and then receives chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Kennedy was the leading Senator in negotiations to reconcile the Senate and House versions of the Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization bill. In his extended absence Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) will "pinch-hit" for Kennedy in the negotiations. Kennedy said that he hopes to return to the Senate to campaign for Sen. Barack Obama.

Mikulski, the third-most-senior Democrat on the committee after Kennedy, will lead Senate negotiators as they work with House negotiators to compromise on some of the bill's most controversial provisions.

Another HEA extension was signed into law by President Bush on Friday. The latest extension gives lawmakers until June 30 to pass a final version of the bill or pass another extension.

Media Coverage

• Kennedy's Brain Surgery 'Successful,' Doctor Says (Congressional Quarterly)
• Senator Mikulski to Lead Talks on Higher Education Act in Kennedy's Absence (The Chronicle of Higher Education)

By Haley Chitty
NASFAA Associate Director for Communications

Posted 06/03/08 to www.NASFAA.org. Redistribution to non-NASFAA institutions is prohibited. Please submit Web Site questions or comments to Web@NASFAA.org.