Federal oversight of accreditation took center stage as the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI) convened under a reorganized, partisan seating plan and selected a new chair aligned with Trump appointees, according to meeting coverage. At the same time, Education Department officials signaled sharp scrutiny of accrediting bodies and vowed reforms—rhetoric that surfaced at the first NACIQI meetings with new administration appointees. The twin developments mark an escalation in the department’s interventionist posture toward accreditors, with potential consequences for institutional access to federal student aid and regulatory pathways. College and university boards, accrediting agencies and compliance offices should monitor rulemaking and prepare for more frequent federal reviews and politically charged recognition decisions.