This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Megan, and Allie recap NASFAA's recent Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo, which concluded with hundreds of financial aid professionals visiting their representatives on Capitol Hill this week. Skip to 7:35 to get right to the policy discussion. Allie details a recent court decision that could bring relief to a group of borrowers who sued the Department of Education over the agency's handling of their Public Service Loan Forgiveness applications, and Megan outlines what we know so far about Sen. Patty Murray's (D-WA) priorities for a Higher Education Act reauthorization. Plus, hear Justin give us his best rendition of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's Oscars performance.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, Megan, and Joelle discuss the growing list of politicians running for the democratic nomination for president, and how they’ve responded to the idea of free college. Megan talks about a bill—dubbed the FAFSA Fairness Act—to help students who are unable to provide parental information on their applications, and details a significant change made to the language since it was introduced in the last session of Congress. The group also delves into a series of recommendations that NASFAA sent to a group of democratic senators to help address racial disparities in higher education, and Justin recaps a conversation he had with our SASFAA colleagues regarding issues with Parent PLUS Loans. Skip ahead three minutes to get right to the policy discussion. We hope to see you at our Leadership and Legislative Conference & Expo next week!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, Megan, and Joelle discuss a new endorsement of FAFSA simplification and Higher Education Act (HEA) reauthorization from Ivanka Trump—and what that might mean for White House priorities. The group also unpacks a new report that found the Office of Federal Student Aid failed to hold federal loan servicers accountable for being out-of-compliance with federal standards during both the current and prior presidential administrations. Plus, Stephen and Joelle recap the issues brought up during negotiated rulemaking subcommittee meetings earlier this week on TEACH Grants and distance education, and Megan details the continuation of an experimental program to allow prisoners access to Pell Grants. Skip to 7:20 to get right to the policy discussion.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Allie, and Megan examine Sen. Lamar Alexander's (R-TN) recently-announced policy priorities to include in a reauthorization bill for the Higher Education Act (HEA). Alexander earlier in the week laid out a vision for what he said he hopes to be a bipartisan effort to deliver a bill to President Donald Trump by Christmas. But, the group discusses, with several lawmakers already making plans for a 2020 presidential bid, it's unclear if Congress will make progress toward this goal. With FAFSA simplification high on the list of priorities, Megan also outlines the findings from a recent study showing the push to enroll more low-income students could create unintended negative consequences. Plus, the group discusses Tuesday's State of the Union address, and what the speech says—or doesn't say—about higher education policy.