This week’s Federal Update covers Congressionalm, Executive, and Judicial activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The House and Senate returned to Washington this week, ending their August recess. This month, Congress’ key task is to pass a spending bill which would prevent a government shutdown after September 30.
The House will take up its FY 26 Energy and Water appropriations bill on September 4. The bill proposes a 2% increase for the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science and a 24% decrease for DOE’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) program. Read the bill here.
FY 2026 Appropriations
On September 2, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor-HHS-Education (LHHS) advanced its FY26 appropriations bill along party lines. The bill includes $48 billion in funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The legislation does not include the Trump administration’s proposal to reorganize the NIH.
Funding for the Department of Education is cut 15% under the bill. The bill would eliminate Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG). The maximum individual Pell Grant award was flat funded at $7,395 and Federal TRIO Programs were flat funded at $1.191 billion.
Additional details on the bill are expected in the report following full committee markup, which could be scheduled as early as next week.
Read the bill text here, the Majority's bill summary here, and the Minority's bill summary here.
Bills Introduced
House Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams (R-TX) introduced a bill that would extend the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs for one year. Both programs are expiring at the end of the month. Read the committee’s press release here. Read the bill here.
Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act (H.R. 5121) - Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has introduced the Fairness in Higher Education Accreditation Act, which would prohibit accreditors from enforcing standards tied to the racial, gender, or national origin composition of students, faculty, or staff. The legislation allows higher education institutions to sue accreditors that have violated the provisions in the bill. According to Rep. Stefanik’s press release, Indiana Senator Jim Banks (R) will introduce companion legislation in the Senate. Read the press release here. Read the bill here.
Debt, Earnings and Cost Information Disclosure for Education (DECIDE) Act (S.2700) - Sen. John Husted (R-OH) has introduced the DECIDE Act, which would codify President Trump’s 2019 Executive Order “Improving Free Inquiry, Transparency, and Accountability at Colleges and Universities.” The bill would require the Department of Education’s College Score Card to provide students clarity on loan amounts, the risk that comes with debt and the time it takes students to pay back loans. Read the press release here. Read the bill here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
Duration of Status Rule Published
The Department of Homeland Security has published a proposed rule to amend its existing Duration of Status rule. The proposed rule would replace “duration of status” admission for J-1 (exchange visitors) and F-1 (students) visa holders with a fixed period of stay. Under duration of status admission, a visa remains valid as long as the holder meets the requirements of the visa. With a fixed period of stay, visa holders would need to file an extension of stay before expiration of their visa if they require additional time to complete their academic program.
In addition to implementing a fixed period of stay for F-1 and J-1 visas, the proposed rule restricts graduate students in these visa categories from changing academic programs. Comments on the proposed rule are due September 29. Read the proposed rule here.
Judicial Branch activities of interest
District Judge Rules that Trump Administration Cannot Withhold Federal Funding from Harvard
On September 3, a U.S. District Court judge ruled that the Trump administration violated the Constitution by freezing $2B in federal research funding at Harvard. U.S. District Judge Allison Burroughs said freezing and canceling research grants violated Harvard’s First Amendment rights and amounted to “retaliation, unconstitutional conditions, and unconstitutional coercion.” The Judge’s ruling vacated the administration’s funding freeze and prohibited the administration from using similar reasoning to block grants to Harvard in the future. A Whitehouse spokesperson said the administration would appeal Judge Burroughs’ decision. Read the decision here.