The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

December Appropriations Forecast
New Foreign Gift Reporting Portal Announced
SCORE Act Voted Out of House Committee, Expected for Vote
Northwestern Settles with Trump Administration

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.

DECEMBER APPROPRIATIONS FORECAST

Congress has only a few remaining workdays in December--12 in the House and 11 in the Senate--and lawmakers are set to have a very busy schedule. As a reminder, before the Thanksgiving holiday, lawmakers were preparing to take action on several funding bills post-shutdown, including funding for Defense, Commerce-Justice-Science, Interior-Environment, Labor-HHS-Education and Transportation-HUD. Lawmakers are expected to begin work on the next FY26 appropriations minibus, which contains Defense, Labor-HHS, Transportation-HUD and Commerce-Justice-Science.

Back to Business

Immigration

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

NEW FOREIGN GIFT REPORTING PORTAL ANNOUNCED

The Education Department on Monday unveiled a new portal for colleges and universities to report foreign gifts and contracts, as is legally required when they are valued at $250,000 or more annually. The agency said the portal, which is set to launch Jan. 2 at www.ForeignFundingHigherEd.gov, will allow schools to upload foreign funding disclosures in bulk and includes other tools for drafting, reviewing and submitting reports.

New Portal

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

SCORE ACT VOTED OUT OF HOUSE COMMITTEE, EXPECTED FOR VOTE

The House Rules Committee advanced a procedural measure Monday on a package that includes the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements Act (SCORE Act), which would preempt state laws, bar student-athletes from being considered employees under labor law, grant an antitrust exemption to intercollegiate sports officials, allow for NCAA-set caps on NIL and place parameters on athlete transfers. The committee voted 7-4 along partisan lines. The bill would still need to work its way through the Senate if it passes in the House.

SCORE Act

NORTHWESTERN SETTLES WITH TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Northwestern University has settled with the Trump Administration, agreeing to pay the federal government $75 million and enact various changes. In return, the federal government will lift a freeze on millions in research funding. Northwestern is now the sixth university to strike a deal with the Trump administration, following settlements with the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, Brown University, the University of Virginia and Cornell University.

Settlement Reached

Government Relations Resources

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