The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

House Approves Remaining Funding Bills
Education Department Drops Appeal of Court Order Blocking Anti-DEI Guidance
New Education Department Status Report Shows Gradual Processing of IDR, PSLF Backlog
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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 APPROVES REMAINING FUNDING BILLS

Yesterday, the House approved its final set of FY26 funding bills, completing work on all 12 annual appropriations measures ahead of the January 30 deadline. Lawmakers passed a three‑bill package with bipartisan support that will fund the Departments of Defense, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Transportation. The House subsequently passed a separate Department of Homeland Security bill, which drew opposition from most Democrats over concerns about ICE oversight. We covered the provisions of this funding package in Tuesday's digest. The four bills will be combined with two bills that were passed earlier and sent to the Senate when it returns from recess.

Bill Movement

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

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT DROPS APPEAL OF COURT ORDER BLOCKING ANTI-DEI GUIDANCE

The Department of Education has dropped its appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked the agency from requiring colleges to eliminate race‑based curriculum, financial aid and student services or risk losing federal funding. The decision ends an almost year-long legal dispute over a February 2025 guidance letter that catalyzed many institutions to scale back or close their diversity, equity and inclusion programs. The original guidance was challenged by education groups, which argued it violated administrative procedure and First Amendment protections; a federal judge later struck it down for failing to meet procedural standards.

Appeal Drop

NEW EDUCATION DEPARTMENT STATUS REPORT SHOWS GRADUAL PROCESSING OF IDR, PSLF BACKLOG

The Department of Education’s latest filing shows continued progress in reducing backlogs for income‑driven repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Buyback applications. As of the end of last year, the IDR backlog stood at about 734,000 applications, down from more than 1.5 million earlier in the year, and the PSLF Buyback backlog totaled about 83,000. Those numbers could increase if a proposed settlement to end the SAVE repayment plan is approved, which would shift more than seven million borrowers into other repayment options. The settlement also requires the Department to begin a rulemaking process to formally remove SAVE from federal regulations ahead of its scheduled sunset in 2028.

IDR, PSLF Moves

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