Higher Ed Policy Roundup: Vol. 9 - Issue 20

On Wednesday, the Education Department (ED) announced that it would be taking measures to increase oversight of federal student aid. In the announcement, ED asserts that an analysis found “nearly $90 million disbursed to ineligible recipients, including thousands of deceased individuals receiving some form of payment.” The oversight outlined by ED will include:

• Strengthening data-sharing with the Social Security Administration to prevent identity theft and errors;
• Resuming automated post screening of student aid records; and
• Resuming the flagging of applicants suspected of using someone else’s identity when completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form.

The House Education and Workforce Committee announced it will be holding a hearing on June 4th titled "Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education." ED Secretary Linda McMahon will be testifying regarding ED’s budget priorities. Find out more information by watching the full hearing.

The head of the American Council on Education warned that the reconciliation bill will block access to higher education.

New America crafted an analysis of the implementation challenges of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

There were no relevant student-aid related bills recently introduced for consideration by the 119th Congress (2025-26).