This week’s Federal Update covers Congressionalm and Executive activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The Senate is in session this week. At midnight on September 30, federal funding lapsed, resulting in a partial government shutdown. A compilation of agency contingency plans for the shutdown may be found here.
FY 2026 Appropriations
As the government shutdown continues, Republicans urge Democrats to support a continuing resolution (CR) that extends current levels of government funding through November 21, 2025. Democrats argue for a CR proposal to fund the government through October 31, to permanently extend Affordable Care Act health subsidies, and to prevent the Office of Management and Budget from blocking the expenditure of funds that were already appropriated.
Student Athlete Fairness and Enforcement (SAFE) Act (S.2932) was introduced by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). The bill would codify student athletes’ Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights and provide protections for scholarships and contracts. This bill was released in response to Senator Cantwell’s recent comments on the House’s SCORE Act, which also creates a framework for NIL rights for student athletes. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
Stop RFK’s Bad Science Act (H.R. 5609) was introduced by Representative Haley Stevens (D-MI). This bill would direct the NIH to reinstate funding to grant and other award recipients and give awardees extra time to use the funds. Read the press release here. Bill text, once available, may be found here.
Healthcare Workforce Expansion Act (S.2954) was introduced by Senator Bernie Sanders (D-VT). The bill seeks to address the shortage of workers in the healthcare field by making medical, nursing, and dental school free at non-profit institutions. This bill increases investment in rural healthcare education and allocates $5 billion in medical, dental, and nursing schools to modernize, increase enrollment, and retain faculty. Read the press release here. Read the bill text here.
Senate HELP Chair Cassidy Requests Information on Improving Transparency in Higher Education
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, submitted a request for information (RFI) on ways to improve stakeholder transparency in higher education to lower costs for students and help with the college decision-making process. Sen. Cassidy outlined four main policy goals in the request: 1) Price transparency for the complete, total cost of college attendance, 2) Value transparency for the quality of education provided, 3) Clear and accurate financial aid offers, and 4) Informed borrowing for student loans and debt. Read the full RFI here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
Trump Administration Sends ‘Higher Education Compact’ to Nine Institutions
According to reporting from several news sources including the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times, on October 1, the Trump Administration sent letters to nine universities, urging campus leadership to sign a “compact” with the Administration to ensure access to federal financial aid and research funding. The compact asks institutions to commit to:
- cap international student enrollment at 15%;
- freeze tuition for five years;
- eliminate the use of race or sex in hiring and admissions decisions;
- provide free tuition to students studying “hard sciences” if the university’s endowment exceeds $2 million per undergraduate student; and
- disclose all foreign funding.
The letter notes that universities that do not wish to comply are “free to develop models and values other than those below, if the institution elects to forego federal benefits.” Institutions that received the compact are the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California, Brown, the University of Arizona, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, MIT, the University of Virginia, and the University of Texas at Austin.
Office of Science and Technology Policy Issues Request for Information on AI Regulations
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking feedback on federal regulations that “hinder the development, deployment, and adoption of artificial intelligence technologies within the United States.” The RFI notes that OSTP is seeking input from “private sector organizations, industry groups, academia, state, local, and tribal governments, and any other interested parties, on priorities for such regulatory reform or other agency action necessary to promote AI innovation and adoption.” Read the RFI here.
Department of Health and Human Services OCR Announces Intent to Block Harvard from Receiving Research Funding
On September 30, the Department Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced that it has referred Harvard for formal administrative civil rights proceedings, which could result in “the termination of funding or denial of future Federal financial assistance.” HHS alleges that Harvard has violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. Read the release here.
Judicial Branch Activities of Interest
DOJ Moves to Dismiss Appeal in NSF F&A Case
On September 26, the Department of Justice filed a motion to dismiss its appeal in the 1st circuit case challenging the National Science Foundation (NSF)’s policy to cap facilities and administrative (F&A) costs at 15%. On September 30, the court vacated the policy, ending the NSF-specific F&A rate cut. However, the Trump administration continues its appeals in separate but related litigation over F&A at other federal agencies, like the National Institutes of Health (NIH).