Accreditation reform has moved from proposal to policy front and center. CHEA released executive talking points describing recent Executive Orders directing an accreditation overhaul and a White House push to increase competition among accreditors. Meanwhile, Congress approved FY2026 funding with non‑binding language warning against transferring core Department of Education responsibilities to other agencies, even as it authorized extra oversight briefings. Institutions face a rapidly changing regulatory timeline: negotiated rulemaking on Workforce Pell quality standards and possible new accreditation requirements could land this spring, leaving little runway for colleges to adapt.