Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.

Dear Colleagues, 

Following the announcement last month that the Department of Education will be transferring a substantial portion of its programs or activities to other federal agencies, Secretary Linda McMahon said during a Cabinet meeting this week that she plans to move even more of the Department’s programs to other agencies across the federal government in the future.  We will continue to track any moves by the Department and assess their implications for independent higher education. 

Elsewhere in Washington, Congress continues to work behind the scenes to clear a path for FY 2026 spending bills before the current continuing resolution expires on January 30. While the December holidays are often a catalyst for action, deliberations are moving slowly and work on the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill that funds student aid could move into January.  

Additionally, recent media coverage about the exclusion of nursing and other health programs from higher loan limits available to “professional” programs in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act resulted in the Department of Education issuing a press release “to set the record straight regarding the proposed treatment of nursing programs under new lending limits established” by the bill.  

If you have the opportunity to interact with your congressional delegation during the holiday break, please: 

• Continue to reiterate the importance of funding the federal student aid programs; and  

• Highlight the importance of access to federal student loans for the professional programs you provide that meet workforce demands in your community, region, or state. 

Meanwhile, the next round of negotiated rulemaking, dubbed the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) Committee, begins next week. The Department plans to focus on implementation of the new Workforce Pell Grant program during the first week of negotiations, with the second week of discussions centering on institutional and programmatic accountability measures, such as the new “do no harm” framework from the reconciliation bill and financial value transparency and gainful employment. After next week, the AHEAD committee will meet for its second session the week of January 5, 2026. 

This week’s Washington Update reports on the delayed vote in the House on the SCORE Act and the Department of Education’s new foreign gift reporting portal slated to launch next month. 

I hope you have a pleasant weekend.

For more information, please contact:
Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.