Hosts Jon Fansmith, Sarah Spreitzer, and Mushtaq Gunja dig into the Senate’s reconciliation bill and what it means for colleges and students—student loan limits, endowment taxes, accountability rules, and more. They also discuss delays in student visa processing, stalled federal research funding, and a growing number of legal and policy challenges to programs serving undocumented and international students.

Here are some of the links and references from this week’s show.

Reconciliation

Advocate for Students and Campuses in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Bill ACE

Senate 2025 Education Budget Reconciliation Bill ACE | June 12, 2025

Senate Finance Reconciliation Tax Package: Summary of Key Higher Ed Provisions ACE | June 17, 2025

A Running List of Policies Rejected From the Republican Megabill The New York Times (sub. req.) | June 26, 2025

Risk-Sharing: A ‘Well-Intentioned’ Disaster for Colleges? Higher Ed Dive | May 6, 2025

Rescission

White House Eyes Rarely Used Power to Override Congress on Spending The New York Times (sub. req.) | June 17, 2025

International Students

State Dept. Restarts Student Visa Interviews With Tougher Social Media Rules The Washington Post (sub. req.) | June 18, 2025

Legal Developments

Judge Orders NIH to Restore Research Funds Terminated Using Political, Not Scientific Criteria WBUR | June 17, 2025

Judge Blocks the Trump Administration’s National Science Foundation Research Funding Cuts The Associated Press | June 21, 2025

US Judge Blocks Defense Department From Slashing Federal Research Funding Reuters | June 17, 2025

Federal Judge Won’t Block Trump’s Cuts to IES Inside Higher Ed | June 18, 2025

U.S. Justice Department Sues Minnesota for Offering In-State Tuition Costs to Undocumented Students The Minnesota Star Tribune (sub. req.) | June 25, 2025

Tennessee Lawsuit Puts HSIs’ Fate on the Line Inside Higher Ed | June 13, 2025