This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Allie discuss the Department of Education's recent action to provide relief for verification documentation in light of the continued IRS Data Retrieval Tool outage. Justin gives an overview of the latest with the federal budget for fiscal year 2017, and what we can expect for student aid funding for this year and next. Allie discusses an apparent stalling in debt relief for students who have submitted borrower defense claims, and Justin explains a new $30,000 contract ED has purchased for training to conduct staff reductions. Plus, Justin looks into what insight Facebook ads can give into people's interests, and tells us about NASFAA's "Run Like Pell" Ragnar team, version 2.0.  

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Allie are joined by special guest Brad Barnett – senior associate director of financial aid and scholarships at James Madison University, and NASFAA Board treasurer. Justin, Allie, and Brad discuss Congress' return from recess next week, and how soon lawmakers might come to a compromise on a budget deal – perhaps including year-round Pell. Justin and Allie also dive into the details of the first DREAMer deported under the Trump administration and what that could mean for other DACA-protected individuals. Plus, Brad shares his experience teaching a popular course on personal money management and financial literacy.

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team discusses Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' new picks to fill out nine hires within the Department of Education, and her recent action to withdraw several Obama-era policy memos focused on improving student loan servicing. Justin, Allie, Megan, and Stephen also discuss New York state's free tuition plan and its implications for students, as well as the potential for year-round Pell to make a comeback. Plus, Megan shares some insights from NASFAA's recent survey about the impact of the IRS Data Retrieval Tool outage.

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team discusses the Senate's decision to exercise the nuclear option, further eroding collegiality in the upper chamber. Stephen and Megan dive into the possibility of another government shutdown as Congress continues to work toward a budget resolution. The team also detail new pieces of legislation aimed at extending the Perkins Loan program and simplifying the FAFSA for some applicants, and Pell Grant restoration for students whose schools closed. Plus, why did muppets descend on Capitol Hill recently?