The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

House Passes Stopgap Funding Bill
NDAA Passes in House
Department of Energy Announces Awards for Genesis Mission, Duke Researchers Selected
OSTP Director Michael Kratsios Releases "Science: A New Golden Age" Report
Appeals Court Rejects Department of Education's Appeal to Delay Borrower Defense Decisions
Bipartisan Lawmaker Group Introduces Bill to Grant Afghan Nationals Protected Status
Trump Administration Rolls Back Title VI Disparate Impact Enforcement
Post of the Week!

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.

HOUSE PASSES STOPGAP FUNDING BILL

This week, the House passed a stopgap bill that would fund the federal government past the midterm elections to December 4th--we covered the bill's text release in our Tuesday digest. The resolution passed 220-205. In the Senate, appropriators are developing a bipartisan short-term funding bill as Congress works to avoid a government shutdown before the end of the fiscal year. The House is now on recess, and the Senate begins its recess on August 7th. Senate leaders have indicated they hope to bring a funding agreement to the floor before the August recess, after which the House would need to consider the measure when lawmakers return.

Stopgap Bill

Research

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

NDAA PASSES IN HOUSE

The House approved its FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), authorizing roughly $1.1 trillion in defense spending, before departing for the August recess. The annual defense policy bill passed largely along party lines in a 216 to 212 vote, with six Democrats joining Republicans to support the bill. It includes provisions related to military readiness, modernization, and emerging technologies. The measure now moves to the Senate, where lawmakers will need to negotiate a final version before it can be sent to the president.

NDAA Next Steps

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR GENESIS MISSION, DUKE RESEARCHERS SELECTED
This week, the Department of Energy (DOE) held a summit to kick off its Genesis Mission, a "national portfolio of research teams [that] will help develop and demonstrate AI-enabled scientific workflows designed to accelerate breakthroughs in energy, discovery science, and national security." At its summit, DOE announced the first projects selected, including four from Duke University--two from the Pratt School of Engineering and two from Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. These teams will use artificial intelligence to build better models of atomic nuclei, react to stellar explosions faster, imbue robots with more brain-like circuitry and design new DNA-based materials.

Duke and Genesis

OSTP DIRECTOR MICHAEL KRATSIOS RELEASES "SCIENCE: A NEW GOLDEN AGE" REPORT
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios recently released a report outlining a new vision for federal science policy, arguing that the current research enterprise has become overly dependent on a small number of institutions and is no longer supporting scientific discovery as effectively as it once did. The report recommends shifting funding away from traditional investigator-led research toward larger, mission-driven projects focused on national priorities, reducing reliance on peer review and placing greater emphasis on the physical sciences.

OSTP Report

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

COURT REJECTS DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION'S APPEAL TO DELAY BORROWER DEFENSE DECISIONS

A federal appeals court rejected the Department of Education’s request to delay deadlines for resolving tens of thousands of borrower defense claims under the ongoing Sweet v. McMahon settlement. The ruling means the Department remains bound by the agreement, which requires it to either issue timely decisions on borrower defense applications or provide automatic loan relief in certain cases. The court found that the Department had not demonstrated sufficient justification for modifying the settlement after seeking an 18‑month extension to process more than 250,000 pending claims.

Judge Ruling

Immigration

The latest updates on legislation and regulatory actions related to immigration that are relevant to Duke.

BIPARTISAN LAWMAKER GROUP INTRODUCES BILL TO GRANT AFGHAN NATIONALS PROTECTED STATUS

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers has introduced the Afghanistan TPS Act, which would extend Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for eligible Afghan nationals living in the United States. Supporters of the bill argue that Afghans who assisted U.S. efforts during the war should not be returned to Afghanistan under Taliban rule. The legislation was introduced by Reps. Jason Crow (D-CO), Sam Liccardo (D-CA), Don Bacon (R-NE) and María Elvira Salazar (R-FL). Its next steps remain uncertain.

Bill Introduced

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ROLLS BACK TITLE VI DISPARATE IMPACT ENFORCEMENT

This week, the Department of Education issued a final rule removing the use of disparate impact analysis from its Title VI regulations. Under the change, Title VI enforcement will focus on cases involving intentional discrimination, rather than policies that may have different effects on demographic groups. The action follows a broader administration effort to eliminate the use of disparate impact standards across federal agencies and aligns with a 2025 executive order directing agencies to review such policies.

New Rule

Post of the Week!

Government Relations Resources

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