This week’s Federal Update covers Congressional and Executive activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The Senate was in Session this week and continued its work on FY26 appropriations. The House is in recess and is expected to return on February 2.
FY 2026 Appropriations
Late on January 22, the House passed the final four spending bills for FY26 (Defense, Labor-HHS-Education, Transportation-HUD, and Homeland Security) and then bundled them together with the FY26 Financial Services General Government and National Security-State bills into a six-bill minibus that it sent to the Senate.
On January 23, President Trump signed into law the minibus containing the FY26 Commerce-Justice-Science, Energy-Water, and Interior-Environment Appropriations bills.
The past week’s events in Minneapolis have impacted plans for the Senate to pass the remaining six-bill package. Senate Democrats are calling for the Homeland Security bill – which funds ICE – to be extracted for further consideration. As this time, it is unclear how this will play out. The federal government will partially shut down if the remaining bills are not passed by January 30.
Senator Cassidy Launches Inquiry into Incoming College Students’ Math Readiness
On January 23, Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) sent letters to 35 institutions of higher education seeking information “to uncover the root cause of students’ dramatic decline in preparedness for collegiate level math courses.”
According to Inside Higher Ed, Cassidy has asked each institution “to provide data on freshman placement into math courses, explanations of how placements are decided, information on math classes that include precollege content, descriptions of university-wide math graduation requirements and info on whether they require the SAT, ACT or other math tests for admission” by February 5.
Bills Introduced
The Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act (S. 3707) was introduced by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL). This bill would provide a wage differential program to support new nursing school faculty. This bill aims to address the pay disparity between clinical nurses and nursing faculty, a key factor contributing to the ongoing shortage of nursing educators. Read the bill text here.
The Alleviating Intergenerational Debt (AID) Act (H.R. 7232) was introduced by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI). This bill would update the Student Aid Index formula to include parental student loan debt when determining a student’s access to federal student aid. The goal of this bill is to ensure that students’ parents’ debt does not hinder their ability to go to college and makes college costs more affordable. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
Department of Energy Repeals Policy Capping F&A Rates
On January 27, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced that, because the FY26 Energy-Water bill was signed into law, “the Policy Flashes related to adjusting indirect rates … are no longer in effect.” The FY26 Energy-Water bill requires DOE to apply negotiated indirect cost rates as they were applied in FY24. A full list of the Policy Flashes that are no longer in effect is available here.
Department of Education Announces Negotiated Rulemaking on Accreditation
On January 26, the Department of Education (ED) announced its intent to undergo negotiated rulemaking on accreditation. In the notice, ED states its intention to propose regulations on ten issues relating to accreditation, including simplification and streamlining of various accreditation processes including accreditor approval and a “review of the role that accrediting agency standards have played in promoting violations of Federal law, including unlawful discrimination by member institutions.” Additionally, ED intends to consider how accreditors may consider intellectual diversity in accreditation. Read the Federal Register publication here.
Department of Defense Releases 2026 National Defense Strategy
On January 23, the Department of Defense released its 2026 National Defense Strategy with a theme of "Restoring peace through strength for a new golden age of America." The report shares the Department's technology priorities to develop the Golden Dome, advance counter unmanned aerial systems, and access portions of the electromagnetic spectrum necessary to “defend the homeland.” Read the full report here.