In a recent Inside Higher Ed article examining high‑stakes policy talks at the U.S. Department of Education, Thompson Coburn partner Aaron Lacey offered insight into how the department’s approach to negotiated rulemaking has changed—and why those changes are drawing concern from higher education leaders and policy experts.

The article details how Education Department officials are advancing proposals that could significantly reshape federal student aid, often entering negotiations with fully developed policy frameworks rather than broad concepts for discussion. That shift, Aaron said, has fundamentally altered the nature of the process.