Negotiators and higher-education leaders are racing to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) as negotiated-rulemaking gets underway and 2026 deadlines loom. Inside Higher Ed’s deep-dive report shows negotiators are hashing out institutional accountability, new loan limits, repayment transfers and Workforce Pell eligibility. Key actors include the Education Department, congressional staffers, institutional leaders and policy experts such as Michelle Dimino. The report identifies three core sticking points: how to measure program-level earnings and debt outcomes, how to align new Workforce Pell approvals with evidence standards, and how to manage repayment-plan transfers for borrowers across multiple institutions. Experts warn data infrastructure gaps and tight timelines could delay or distort enforcement. The Education Department transition adds execution risk. Practitioners told Inside Higher Ed that converging political priorities — conservative pressure to curb low-value programs and progressive calls for accountability — create opportunities for bipartisan fixes, but not without tradeoffs. Negotiators will need to reconcile fiscal constraints, institutional capacity, and student-protection goals in the coming rulemaking sessions.