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Great Lakes. Student loan debt letters are being mandated in a growing number of states. College Cost Meter™ is an affordable and versatile solution to send customizable student debt letters or emails, when it’s required or part of a student success program. Contact your Great Lakes representative or visit mygreatlakes.org/go/ccm for more information.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie catch us up on the latest news in federal spending, as the House Appropriations Committee passed a spending bill for education programs for fiscal year 2019. The bill, which included a few notable higher education-related amendments, now moves to the floor for a vote by the full House, and a similar bill in the Senate awaits a floor vote. The team also discusses how President Donald Trump's new Supreme Court nominee could have an impact on higher education and affirmative action. Plus, rumors swirled on Capitol Hill about a potential celebrity visit, and student debt moves into prime time in a new reality TV show.

The House appropriations committee pushed forward on securing funding for labor, health and human services, and education programs, voting along party lines to move its fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding bill to the House for a vote, following a markup Wednesday. While the bill included increased funding for some Department of Education (ED) programs, such as TRIO, it was not focused on federal student aid programs.  

Higher Education can a take note from the success and failures of the efforts taken to improve affordability and transparency for K-12 schools during the ‘No Child Left Behind’ (NCLB) era, according to Third Way, a Washington-based centrist think tank.

President Trump announced his Supreme Court nominee this week, a nomination which is likely to affect NASFAA’s policy work as Republicans and Democrats on Capitol Hill go head-to-head in a confirmation battle, DME Policy Intern McCall Hopkin writes in her latest blog post. "As always, however, NASFAA remains committed to its priorities even when partisanship in Washington heats up." Read on to learn more about her new favorite podcast and how it made her more sensitive to the weight of this nomination, plus find out what she's been working on this week.

Once you’ve got everything in the P&P Builder it’s like having another full-time employee, but we understand that your office has many competing priorities and that getting your existing documents into the P&P Builder can be time-consuming. NASFAA is pleased to offer an option for schools that want help identifying gaps where information is missing or incomplete and bringing their manuals up to date. Financial Aid Services (FAS), NASFAA’s preferred provider for P&P conversions, has tenured consultants with deep financial aid knowledge who can do the heavy lifting for you. Keep an eye on Today’s News and head to our Compliance Engine Frequently Asked Questions page to find answers to other frequently asked P&P Builder questions.

The Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday quickly passed a bipartisan bill to fund the Department of Education (ED) and student aid programs for fiscal year 2019. The bill, which includes a boost to the maximum Pell Grant award, will now move to the full Senate for a floor vote.

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