dotEDU American Council on Education

The hosts talk about the pressing items members of Congress need to wrap up before the end of the year, including a deal on a bill to fund the government. They then dive into a lively discussion with Justin Draeger, president and CEO of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA), about student loan forgiveness and other topics important to borrowers.

In this live conversation, hosts Jon Fansmith and Sarah Spreitzer discuss the status of the Build Back Better Act—the budget reconciliation bill that enacts a large chunk of the Biden administration’s domestic agenda—legislation dealing with competition with China, a House hearing on the education sector’s use of COVID-19 emergency relief funds, and more as Congress pushes toward the end of the year with a lengthy to-do list.

With the House heading toward a vote on the Biden administration’s domestic spending plan, the hosts talk about what is in the bill for higher education—and what has been left out. They also speak with Morgan Taylor about ACE’s latest Pulse Point survey, where college presidents identified their most pressing concerns: enrollment, campus mitigation strategies for COVID-19, supporting individuals affected by the crisis in Afghanistan, and addressing student mental health.

As Congress attempts to finish the budget reconciliation bill, a number of provisions in the social spending measure are in danger of being cut. Terry Hartle and Jon Fansmith look at what we know so far, as well as the future of Public Service Loan Forgiveness and the president's order mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for federal contractors. Sarah Spreitzer kicks the episode off with a chat about lifting the COVID-19 travel ban, which should ease travel to the U.S. for international students and scholars.

Adam Harris, author of The State Must Provide and staff writer for The Atlantic, discusses the state and federal funding mechanisms that continue to support a separate and unequal system of higher education in the United States. First, the hosts open the show with a look at the gridlock in Congress over the budget reconciliation bill--which contains a number of provisions for college students and institutions--the bipartisan infrastructure bill, and raising the debt ceiling.

The fate of two new spending plans—the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the separate $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation bill designed to advance the Biden administration’s other priorities—remains uncertain as we open the new season of dotEDU. ACE Senior Vice President Terry Hartle and host Sarah Spreitzer unpack where Congress stands on reconciliation and what it means for students and institutions, and then discuss efforts to enhance research security and how to help Afghan students and scholars.