The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Shutdown Day 38
ESC Requests at Least $9.5 Billion for DOE Office of Science for FY27
Senate HELP Committee Holds Hearing on College Cost and Value Transparency
PSLF Final Rule Faces Additional Litigation
Education Department Concludes Negotiated Rulemaking Session
Trump Renominates Isaacman to Lead NASA

The Highlights 📰

Budget & Appropriations

The latest coverage on Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations that are relevant to Duke.

Duke Government Relations' primer on the federal appropriations process.

SHUTDOWN DAY 38

With the shutdown now at 38 days--the longest in U.S. history--the impacts continue to grow, as federal benefits lapse and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) moves to cut flights by 10 percent across 40 major airports starting next week. Talks in the Senate are continuing on a potential deal to end the shutdown, but negotiations have yet to produce an agreement--making it all but certain the government will remain closed into next week, if not longer. Lawmakers are weighing a continuing resolution (CR) that would temporarily reopen the government while discussions continue on the twelve full-year appropriations bills. The proposal would also guarantee a vote on legislation to extend the ACA premium tax credits, though the duration of the CR remains a key sticking point. A more in-depth update can be found on the Office of Government Relations' shutdown blog--click below.

Shutdown Blog

Research

The latest updates on legislation and regulations that impact Duke's research enterprise.

ESC REQUESTS $9.5B FOR DOE OFFICE OF SCIENCE IN FY27

The Energy Sciences Coalition, of which Duke is a member, sent a letter yesterday to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought and White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios requesting no less than $9.5 billion for the Department of Energy Office of Science for FY27. The letter noted that the DOE Office of Science is “uniquely positioned” to advance the Trump administration’s FY27 research and development budget priorities and cross-cutting actions outlined in a September memo to agencies.

DOE Letter

Student Aid, Institutional Support and Taxes

The latest updates regarding legislation and regulatory actions related to student aid, higher education institutional support, taxes and more.

NASFAA Student Aid Reference Desk

SENATE HELP COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON COLLEGE COST AND VALUE TRANSPARENCY

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on college cost and value transparency, focusing on financial aid communication and informed borrowing. Committee Chair Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) called for passage of the College Transparency Act, improved net price calculators and standardized financial aid offers to help students make more informed decisions. Witnesses agreed on the need for transparency but differed on solutions--Brenda Hicks, director of financial aid at Southwestern College, cautioned that a “uniform financial aid offer may be efficient, but it won’t be effective,” emphasizing the need for flexibility in communicating aid to diverse student populations. Others highlighted that while transparency is important, affordability and the declining purchasing power of the Pell Grant remain the larger challenges to college access.

Hearing Held

PSLF PROGRAM FINAL RULE FACES MORE LITIGATION

The Department of Education released its final rule significantly altering the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program’s eligibility criteria, and has since faced several lawsuits, one of which we highlighted Tuesday. In addition to the lawsuit from several state attorneys general, more suits have been filed from a group of cities and nonprofits, as well as other associations.

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CONCLUDES NEGOTIATED RULEMAKING SESSION

The Department of Education announced that a negotiated rulemaking committee reached consensus on 17 regulatory provisions tied to the Trump administration’s overhaul of federal student aid programs under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. We highlighted the session in Tuesday's digest. The agreement marks a major step toward implementing new rules governing student loans, including revisions to the Repayment Assistance Plan and the definition of a professional student. The law, signed earlier this year, eliminated the Grad PLUS loan program and capped lifetime loan amounts for graduate and professional students at $100,000 and $200,000, respectively. During the session, negotiators focused on defining which degree programs qualify under the new limits, the details of which can be found here. The consensus language will now be posted by the Department as a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking open to public comment before a final rule is established for implementation, leading into the 2026-27 academic year. The Office of Government Relations (OGR) will continue to provide more details as the next steps in the process unfolds.

Rulemaking Concludes

Trump Administration

TRUMP RENOMINATES ISAACMAN TO HEAD NASA

This week, President Trump renominated Jared Isaacman to lead NASA after having previously pulled his nomination. Isaacman articulated some of his priorities as NASA administrator on X yesterday. Among other things, he said that he plans to “pivot from the drawn-out, multi-phase RIF ‘death by a thousand cuts’ to a single, data-driven reorganization” of the agency; “put more astronauts in space,” including returning Americans to the moon; and leverage NASA’s resources “to increase the frequency of missions, reduce costs, and empower academic institutions to contribute to real discovery missions.”

Renomination

Government Relations Resources

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