Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The House and Senate are in Session this week.
On June 10, the House passed the No Aid for Ghost Students Act of 2026 (H.R. 7892). The bill requires the Department of Education to implement an identity fraud detection system for FAFSA applications. Applicants flagged for suspected identity fraud must be notified and undergo additional identity verification. The bill now moves to the Senate. Read the bill text here.
FY27 Appropriations
On June 9, the House Appropriations Committee advanced its FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill. The bill includes $48.8 billion for the National Institutes of Health, a $94 million increase from FY26.
The bill also provides a $50 increase to the annual maximum Pell grant, bringing the annual max grant to $7,445. In an effort to shore up funding for the Pell grant program, the bill eliminates subsidized federal student loans.
The Committee-approved bill includes a provision that qualifies advanced nursing degrees for the "professional” level loan limits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Advanced nursing programs were categorized as “graduate” programs by the Department of Education earlier this year, subjecting them to lower federal loan limits. The nursing provision may be found on page 3 of the Manager’s Amendment linked here .
The FY27 bill also includes a provision limiting multiyear grants at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY27 to the amount spent on these awards in FY25. This provision caps the NIH's practice of "forward-funding" or fully allocating multiyear research grants upfront. The multi-year funding provision may be found on page 2 of the Manager’s Amendment linked here.
Read the Committee’s press release here. Read the bill text here. Read the bill report here.
Bills Introduced
On June 4, Congressman Mike Turner (R-OH) introduced the Student Loan Refinancing Act of 2026 (H.R.9166). The bill would allow eligible federal student loan borrowers to refinance within the federal system at a fixed interest rate, without extending repayment terms or incurring a new origination fee. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
On June 4, Congressman Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) introduced the Foreign Adversary Patent Disclosure Act (H.R.9143). The bill would require patent applicants to disclose any inventor or owner of a claimed invention who, within the previous five years, was employed by an entity owned or controlled by a designated foreign adversary, received funding from a state-affiliated research fund or talent program linked to a foreign adversary, or received other financial support from a foreign adversary. The bill defines foreign adversaries as China, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
On June 4, Sen. David McCormick (R-PA), Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Sen. Todd Young (R-IN), and Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the National Commission on Robotics Act. The bill would create an independent commission to evaluate America’s competitiveness in robotics and recommend policies to strengthen U.S. leadership in that field. Specifically, the commission would be directed to explore whether certain partnerships in robotics with industry, the public, and academic institutions could enhance economic competitiveness and manufacturing. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
On June 4, Reps. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Lori Trahan (D-MA) released a discussion draft of the Great American AI Act. The discussion draft seeks to regulate and promote artificial intelligence innovation by establishing the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource (NAIRR) at the National Science Foundation and the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The bill would also create a broad range of AI education programs. Read the press release here. Read the discussion draft text here.
On June 8, Rep. Jennifer McClellan (D-VA) introduced the Improving Mentorship in STEM Higher Education Act (H.R.9177). The bill would authorize the National Science Foundation to establish a program to strengthen mentorship practices at higher education institutions. The bill prioritizes support for Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), rural-serving institutions, and emerging research institutions. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
National Institutes of Health Proposes to Cap Number of Awards Per Principal Investigator
On June 8, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) published a request for information (RFI) titled: “Proposal to Cap the Number of Simultaneous Research Project Grants per Principal Investigator to Support More Researchers and Maximize Scientific Productivity and Innovation”
The RFI suggests different scenarios for limiting the number of awards per principal investigator (PI) or multi-principal investigator (MPI). “As stewards of the taxpayers’ investments in biomedical research and in support of the NIH’s Unified Funding Strategy, the NIH must ensure that it uses funding approaches that maximize scientific productivity and innovation,” the RFI stated, adding: “One way to do this is through policies that allow the NIH to support a greater number of investigators, allowing more ideas to be explored and eventually leading to more breakthroughs.”
Judicial Branch activities of interest
Judge Declares Policy Imposing $100,000 H1-B Fee Unlawful
On June 8, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down President Trump’s September 19, 2025 proclamation mandating a $100,000 payment for H1-B visas. A spokesperson from the White House indicated that the administration intends to appeal the ruling. Read the decision here.