OTC Inside the Beltway: Reconciliation Takes Shape in the House and the White House ‘Skinny’ Budget
This week on "Off the Cuff," Melanie is joined by Rachel, Hugh, Sarah, and Nalia to dive into how the congressional budgeting process could impact student financial aid. To kick things off, Melanie and Hugh discuss the latest developments in the reconciliation process, where a House committee recently advanced portions of the package that would make some drastic changes to programs housed within the Department of Education (ED). Sarah then provides members with a recap of three deep dive explainers that the policy has been working on to fully analyze the proposal. Rachel and Nalia then walk through more of the dynamics of the reconciliation process and outline how NASFAA members can make their voices heard by contacting their members of Congress. Nalia then catches listeners up on the president’s “skinny” budget request, and the team wraps things up with some additional news out of ED concerning staffing hours and the start of a new Negotiated Rulemaking (NegReg) session.
Speakers
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| Melanie Storey President and CEO |
Rachel Rotunda Director of Strategic Outreach and Partnerships |
Hugh Ferguson Managing Editor |
Sarah Austin Policy Analyst |
Nalia Medina Assistant Director of Government Relations |
Resources
- Listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
- Episode Transcript (PDF)
- 2025 Budget Reconciliation Web Center
- Reconciliation Deep Dive: House Committee Proposes New Institutional Accountability Agreement and Regulatory Relief
- Reconciliation Deep Dive: House Committee Proposes Major Overhaul of Federal Student Loans, Repayment, and PSLF
- Reconciliation Deep Dive: House Committee Proposes Major Changes to Pell Grant, Campus-Based Aid, Need-Analysis, and Student Eligibility
- House Education Committee Releases Initial Reconciliation Bill
- What Reconciliation Could Mean For Higher Education Funding
- Staffing Hours Reduced at FSA Customer Service Centers
- Trump Releases FY 2026 'Skinny' Budget Proposal, Making Cuts to ED Programs and Eliminating FSEOG
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Publication Date: 5/9/2025
