NASFAA Members Reflect on Opening 2025-26 Advocacy Pipeline Meetings
Nalia Medina, Assistant Director of Government Relations
Last month, to formally kick off the 2025-26 Advocacy Pipeline, NASFAA hosted two members in Washington, D.C. for meetings on Capitol Hill. The participants — Brittany Tweed, FAAC® from Metropolitan State University, and Carrie Short, FAAC® from Baldwin Wallace University — spoke to congressional staffers from Minnesota and Ohio.
The congressional offices included Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) and Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), and Jon Husted (R-Ohio). NASFAA members advocated for the elimination of student loan origination fees and referenced the Student Loan Tax Elimination Act, a bill supported by NASFAA. They also discussed doubling the maximum Pell Grant, bolstering investments in campus-based aid programs, which include Federal Work-Study (FWS) and the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG), and restoring subsidized loan eligibility for graduate and professional students. Pipeline participants also referenced the Protecting Our Students by Terminating Graduate Rates that Add to Debt (POST GRAD) Act, another bill supported by NASFAA.
We asked several Advocacy Pipeline participants to share their thoughts and key takeaways from their time on Capitol Hill. Read on to learn about their experiences, and fill out this interest form if you would like to participate in an Advocacy Pipeline event.
Brittany Tweed, Director of Financial Aid, Metropolitan State University:
The Advocacy Pipeline experience in early November was fantastic! We happened to meet with staffers the day after the government shutdown ended. My favorite part of the day was collaborating with colleagues to formulate plans for addressing important talking points with staffers. That and the cappuccino in the lobby of the NASFAA building!
I expected it to be an eventful day and that there would be a lot of good conversations. In some ways, it was more than I expected due to the well-thought-out planning and genuine conversations that developed with others in the group and congressional staffers. I was surprised by how long the staffers spent with us discussing the topics we were presenting – one meeting went over thirty minutes!
Those interested in participating in upcoming Advocacy Pipelines should come prepared to soak up the experience. Also, be sure to minimize distractions during the event as much as possible and connect with others in the Pipeline group to discuss how legislative changes are impacting their communities – you will learn a lot! Thank you to NASFAA and Nalia for organizing this event! It is such a good professional development opportunity for attendees to help aid administrators gain confidence in their advocacy efforts, as well as providing real-life examples and information that uplift legislative priorities of the financial aid community and NASFAA.
Carrie Short, Director of Financial Aid, Baldwin Wallace University:
Participating in the NASFAA Advocacy Pipeline was one of the most energizing professional experiences I’ve had in financial aid. Spending the day on Capitol Hill gave me the chance to speak directly with congressional staff about the realities our students face—far beyond what can be seen in data or policy summaries.
What stood out most was how genuinely interested the offices were in hearing stories from the “front lines.” I shared some timely concerns that financial aid professionals have about potential accessibility issues for some students to pursue graduate education due to the elimination of the Grad PLUS program, the new definition of professional programs, and the new limits on Parent PLUS loans. I also advocated for doubling the maximum Pell Grant and the importance of robustly funding campus-based aid programs. It was a great opportunity to share the real impact that consistent federal funding has on whether a student can stay enrolled. Seeing staffers take notes and ask thoughtful follow-up questions reminded me that our voices truly matter in shaping policy.
The experience also underscored how essential collaboration is in advocacy. Being able to join another financial aid administrator and speak with a unified message amplified the impact of our conversations and reminded me that meaningful change happens when we work together.
Participating in the Pipeline also helped me reconnect with the “why” behind this work. It’s easy to get caught up in the daily pressures of deadlines, regulations, and systems. Being part of the Advocacy Pipeline reminded me that the work we do is part of a much larger effort to expand opportunity and make higher education accessible.
I left feeling inspired, more informed, and grateful to be part of a profession that doesn’t just serve students — we advocate for them. I would encourage anyone in financial aid to participate if they have the chance. It’s empowering, educational, and a reminder of how important our perspective is in the policy conversations that shape our students’ futures.
Publication Date: 12/23/2025
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