I am a hardworking parent working two jobs just to survive. Between food, rent, my car payment, and basic bills, I am drowning. I recently had to file a hardship for my credit cards just to stay afloat. I cannot afford my own life, let alone a college education.Yet, federal law dictates that because my child is 20 and turned adult, my income must still be reported on the FAFSA until they are 24. My child has moved out, lives on their own, and pays their own bills. I do not feed them or support them. But because of an outdated loophole, the federal government penalizes my child by factoring in my income—income that is already completely exhausted by my own survival.If a parent refuses to provide data, the system punishes the student by locking them out of need-based grants (like the Pell Grant), leaving them only with high-interest loans. This system operates under a delusion that every parent has disposable income to give. It forces low-income parents to choose between their own financial ruin or blocking their child’s path to economic mobility.We are petitioning the U.S. Congress, the House Committee on Education, and Tennessee Representatives Chuck Fleischmann, Marsha Blackburn, and Bill Hagerty to amend the Higher Education Act. Establish "Documented Financial Self-Sufficiency" as an automatic qualifier for independent student status on the FAFSA. If an 18-year-old supports themselves, evaluate them on their own financial reality—not their parents'. Sign this petition to protect working families!