This Week on "Off The Cuff," the policy team gives us the latest information and new developments concerning the IRS Data Retrieval Tool Outage, including a letter NASFAA sent to the Department of Education, urging officials to give some reprieve while the tool is down. Stephen gives a preview of what might come in President Donald Trump's "skinny budget," including potentially devastating cuts to some student aid programs, and Allie fills us in on two gainful employment lawsuits. Plus, learn who's NASFAA's resident "cockroach killer," who was #TeamRaven and #TeamVanessa for this season of The Bachelor...or who was just #TeamSanity. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team dives into issues surrounding the IRS Data Retrieval Tool outage, which officials say could last several weeks. Justin and Megan discuss ED's recent decision to push back two gainful employment deadlines. Stephen gives an update on what to expect in the federal budget, while Allie outlines a new bill focused on employer tax breaks for helping with student loans. Plus, Justin shares his pick for an entertaining and "Sasse" Twitter feed from one U.S. Senator.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Megan, and Allie are joined by Director of Policy Analysis Karen McCarthy, who explains the Department of Education's recent actions regarding verification documentation for non-filers. Justin and Megan discuss new backing out this week from House Speaker Paul Ryan, who announced his support for the year-round Pell Grant. Allie sits down with NASFAA members who spent a day on Capitol Hill advocating for student aid programs during NASFAA's Leadership & Legislative Conference & Expo. Plus, guess which current White House official used to have a gig as the White House Easter Bunny?

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team discusses new developments for DACA-eligible recipients from the Trump administration, and makes predictions for what we'll see in President Donald Trump's State of the Union address and federal budget. Allie fills us in on research on state investments in higher education and whether college is "the great equalizer." Plus, have Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell stumbled on a new way to pay for college?

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team welcomes Megan back to the podcast, and discusses developing news surrounding DACA students and potential deportation. Justin shares details of his recent trip to the SASFAA conference, and talks about the highlights of NASFAA's recent comments on Public Service Loan Forgiveness. Allie talks about the "Michelle Obama effect" on FAFSA completions, and Stephen gives an update on regulations covered in the Congressional Review Act. Plus, Ashton Kutcher makes an appearance on Capitol Hill, and a "Trumpagator" is surfacing in South Carolina.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie talk about the lingering political rifts caused by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos' final confirmation and her first speech to the ED staff as Secretary. The team dissects loan and simplification policy proposals put forward in a Congressional hearing this week and Justin and Stephen give an update on regulatory repeals and a (non)update on non-tax filers.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie talk about developments in Betsy DeVos' nomination to become secretary of education. Justin and Stephen discuss some higher education-related questions senators submitted to DeVos after her confirmation hearing, and Allie reviews news that Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. may be leading a higher education task force for the Trump administration. Finally, the team discusses a protest-turned-riot at UC Berkeley that pushed President Trump to threaten to revoke the university's federal funding.

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team discusses President Donald Trump's inauguration, and how the new administration is coming together. Stephen and Justin give an update on the confirmation of Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos, as well as other education political appointees moving in. Karen breaks down the second package of borrower defense procedural rules, which took immediate effect, and Allie discusses state intervention in lawsuits with ACICS and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Plus, Justin ponders what was in the Tiffany box First Lady Melania Trump gave to former First Lady Michelle Obama, and everyone debates whether Dippin' Dots is actually "real" ice cream. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie discuss Education Secretary nominee Betsy DeVos' confirmation hearing with the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and what we can expect to see moving forward. The team discusses breaking news on a lawsuit the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed against Navient. Justin dives into the implications of the Department of Education's recent announcement of a data error on repayment rates in the College Scorecard, and Jill breaks down a clarification from ED on its intent on state authorization reciprocity.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Karen digs into questions around how financial aid administrators answer tax-related questions for non-filers. The policy team talks about Congress's recent "vote-a-rama" and how a future budget reconciliation bill could impact higher education. Justin and Stephen discuss the ongoing confirmation hearings for President-elect Donald Trump's Cabinet picks, and Allie and Karen dive into the Department of Education's release of final gainful employment rates. Plus, the team shares their top higher education policy hopes for 2017.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie are joined by NASFAA policy analyst Jill Desjean, who summarizes the Department of Education's new regulations on state authorization and distance education. Justin and Stephen discuss what's to come with the new Congress and a budget deal, as well as some areas of higher education policy that a Trump administration could focus on. Plus, Justin and Stephen share their favorite moments from the 115th Congress's swearing-in, and Jill tells us about a different kind of registry in the UK.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie recap news from the past week, including a letter NASFAA sent to ED about FAFSA applicants who have not filed taxes, the Department of Education's decision to finalize the revocation of ACICS' federal recognition, and its new student loan counseling experiment. Justin and Stephen also discuss a report from the Congressional Budget Office with some concerning recommendations on how to reduce federal spending. Plus, Allie shares a strange encounter in the St. Louis airport, and Justin tells us about a rogue, self-driving Uber car. Have a happy holiday season, and thank you for all you do for students and the profession. We'll see you in 2017!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie are joined by Karen McCarthy, NASFAA's director of policy analysis, who discusses the highlights from the recent Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals. The team is also joined by Liz Clark, director of federal affairs at NACUBO, who shares her thoughts on why college endowments are seeing a spike in scrutiny from lawmakers and President-Elect Donald Trump. Plus, Stephen shares his experience watching members of Congress compete for new offices, and Justin tells us why Facebook isn't "cool" anymore. 

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin, Stephen, and Allie discuss what a Betsy DeVos tenure as Education Secretary could mean for higher education policy. Justin and Stephen examine the future of DACA under the Trump administration, and Allie breaks down a recent GAO report looking into the costs associated with income-driven repayment plans. Plus, Justin gives a few updates from the Federal Student Aid Training Conference for Financial Aid Professionals, and Stephen takes on fake news on Facebook.

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Stephen explain the history of the Congressional Review Act, and the potential for Congress to roll back several of President Obama's regulations, including a few tied to student aid and higher education. Stephen also explains the ins and outs of what could happen for some of these regulations with an upcoming budget deal. Plus, Allie and Justin recap details from the Department of Education's release of some gainful employment data, and news on improper payments within the Pell Grant and Direct Loan programs. NASFAA wishes everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you for all you do for your students and for the profession!

This week on "Off The Cuff," the team discusses the surprising results of last week's presidential election, and what we can expect to see for higher education policy under a Trump administration. Justin, Stephen, and Allie talk about who might become the next Secretary of Education, and how the election will affect Congress as it pushes toward reauthorizing the Higher Education Act. Plus, new FAFSA data highlights some promising results, and Stephen shares his experience trying out for "The Price Is Right." Tune in to find out if he made it on the show!

This week on "Off The Cuff," Justin and Megan discuss higher education and the presidential election with POLITICO reporter Michael Stratford. Michael shares what it's like to be a reporter in Washington, DC during an election year, and gives us his predictions on what's to come for higher education policy under a Clinton presidency and a Trump presidency. Justin and Megan touch on developments surrounding the Department of Education's state authorization regulations and letters of support for the Pell Grant Program. Plus, Megan shares that while Hillary Clinton could become the first female U.S. president, a surprising number of women have run for the top position.

This week on "Off The Cuff," the NASFAA policy team debriefs on how higher education is playing into state elections and Megan shares the highlights from NASFAA's new white paper on Early FAFSA and prior-prior year implementation. The team gives a rundown of the Department of Education's recently released borrower defense regulations and its Pell Grant restoration proposal. Plus, in a list of history's most unusual ballot referenda, there's one from California that has Megan scratching her head.

This week on “Off The Cuff,” NASFAA’s policy team gets into the nitty gritty of Public Service Loan Forgiveness with special guest Jason Delisle, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. While Jason argues the program casts too wide of a net and could come at an extremely high cost to taxpayers, Justin and Megan wonder whether administrative issues could prevent some borrowers from qualifying.

This week on "Off the Cuff," reporter Brittany Hackett joins the policy team to discuss new findings on student loan debt and the potential for borrowers to re-default from two new reports out this week. Director of Policy Analysis Karen McCarthy chimes in to talk about issues with new verification documentation for non-tax filers. Plus, Brittany gets excited about Vice President Joe Biden's upcoming debut on "Jay Leno's Garage."

This week on "Off the Cuff," the NASFAA policy team discusses error 399 codes and FAFSA filing numbers. Megan and Stephen discuss the new teacher preparation rules and how they might predict accountability metrics in a future Higher Education Act reauthorization. Plus, the team takes a look at public opinion about higher education – through the eyes of Jimmy Kimmel – and a young girl gets an unexpected college promise.

This week on "Off the Cuff," NASFAA's policy team analyzes initial response to Early FAFSA, looks ahead to the release of federal Pell Grant schedules, and reviews the recent Vice Presidential debate. Stephen shares highlights from graduate and professional members' trip to Capitol Hill, and Megan analyzes the costs and benefits of participating in the Department of Education's loan counseling experiment. Plus, is Stephen pulling night shifts at a clown college?

In this week's episode of "Off the Cuff," NASFAA's policy team rehashes the first presidential debate and discusses the changing conversation around the student loan crisis. Megan gives an overview of NASFAA's FAFSA simplification blitz on the Hill and the release of Early FAFSA. Justin reminisces about his last ride on the Capitol subway 30 years ago. Plus, Stephen shares his encounter with some surprising lobbyists on Capitol Hill.

The policy team discusses federal action taken against ACICS. Stephen voices his frustration with presidential debates, Justin offers solutions to federal budgeting woes, and Megan highlights the weirdness that is DC metro’s "Lost & Found." Plus, the new Trump hotel in DC is offering wine by the spoonful?!