Introduction by Barbara K. Mistick

Dear Colleagues,

Today is National Higher Education Day. While it feels like we are facing a constant set of challenges, there is so much to celebrate in what we do, what our students achieve, and the impact we have on our communities. I hope you will find a moment to reflect on your contributions but also use it as another benchmark in our continued advocacy to protect student aid and other resources that are so important to our students and their families.

To that end, reconciliation work is in high gear in the Senate with Republicans working overtime to meet their goal of introducing legislation by the end of next week. Republican Senators met at the White House on Wednesday to discuss several sticking points, including the permanence of business tax cuts, the scope of proposals to end taxation on overtime wages or tips, and the size of the SALT deduction. They are aiming to move a bill to the Senate floor during the week of June 16.

I sent an Action Alert on Tuesday highlighting the urgency of contacting your senators as they’re writing their bill to share your concerns about the impact the House proposal would have on your students and institution. We have created talking points and a sample letter you can tailor and use for your advocacy efforts in our reconciliation advocacy center.

If appropriate to your campus, now is also the time to activate students, alumni, trustees, faculty, and others to send letters to senators using the Student Aid Alliance Contact Congress form.

These efforts are being complimented by a two-week targeted ad campaign (30 sec. / 15 sec.) that carries the simple message that senators should reject the House-passed reconciliation bill and its proposed cuts to student aid programs. Consider sharing the ads on your social media channels and in other communications.

This may be our last opportunity to influence the contents of the final reconciliation bill, a bill that will severely impact our students and institutions.

On a parallel track, President Trump released his Budget Request last week, signaling the start of the annual appropriations process for FY 2026. The budget request adds detail to the “skinny budget” the administration released earlier in May. (See our story below for more details.) 

Given its timeline and scope, the reconciliation process remains NAICU’s top priority for the next two weeks. We will shift our advocacy focus to the proposed FY 2026 budget immediately after Congress completes the reconciliation process and will provide advocacy strategies and messages at that time to continue our fight for Pell Grants, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, and Federal Work-Study.

Soundbites

• McMahon Outlines Priorities for ED. In a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing focused on examining the policies and priorities of the Department of Education, Secretary Linda McMahon outlined several broad themes that will guide the agency. Among the priorities she identified are returning K-12 education policy to the states, unwinding diversity, equity and inclusion policies throughout education, and establishing risk-sharing for institutions of higher education. 

• ED Pauses Social Security Garnishment. The Department of Education announced that it will pause the garnishment of Social Security benefits for older student loan borrowers in default. The move comes after concerns were raised about the harm that restarting the debt collections process on defaulted student loans could have on Social Security recipients.

I hope you have a pleasant weekend,

Regards

Barbara

Barbara K. Mistick, D.B.A.
President, NAICU