Ms. Weisenburger Goes to Washington

The NASFAA Advocacy Pipeline was an awesome experience! Being in Washington, D.C. made me feel like I am really part of the legislative process. And it reminded me how important our elected officials are to the laws and regulations that affect our students and our communities. I loved being able to interact with legislative staff and other financial aid professionals to discuss important issues related to our profession. To my relief, meeting with legislative staff in D.C. was very similar to meeting with legislative staff in our own state capitol. Each office that we visited was reflective of that legislator and showcased their state. During the meetings, we discussed multiple issues affecting the greater financial aid community. Our group advocated for doubling the federal Pell grant, granting eligibility for the federal Pell grant to DACA students and restoring the automatic inflation adjustment for federal Pell grant. We discussed strategies that could help the federal student loan program such as lowering the interest rate, restoring subsidized loan eligibility to graduate students, eliminating interest capitalization, and simplifying repayment plans. Eliminating origination fees on federal student loans was the topic that garnered the most discussion between our group and legislative staff at each office. Lastly, we discussed the relationship between the financial aid community and the Department of Education. It was exhilarating to federal policy and issues that our community faces every day with legislative staff! If you’ve ever had interest in visiting with legislative staff, you should strongly consider volunteering with NASFAA’s Advocacy Pipeline or attending NASFAA’s Leadership and Legislative Conference. I had a wonderful experience for so many reasons. Washington, D.C. is a beautiful city with lots to see and delicious food to enjoy. NASFAA’s Nalia and Rachel were wonderful hosts who made our day easy, fun, and impactful.