The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Appropriations Status
NIH, NSF, and NEH Grant Updates
DOJ Memo on DEI and Federal Grants

The Highlights 📰

EDITOR'S NOTE: As the Senate wraps up its summer work today, joining the House in recess, the DC Digest will move to a once-a-week cadence on Fridays until Congress returns after Labor Day. Special digests will be sent as needed as well, including one on the appropriations process next week. More on that in the following section.

Budget & Appropriations

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

Duke Government Relations' primer on the federal appropriations process.

SENTE APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE

The Senate is wrapping up its work today on appropriations in advance of the August recess. Yesterday the Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY26 Labor-HHS-Education bill in a 26–3 vote. The bill includes a $400 million increase for the National Institutes of Health and limits the administration’s proposed changes to NIH grant timing. It also proposes $79 billion for the Department of Education and seeks to block several Trump administration efforts to scale back the agency. Senate leaders are still hoping to pass a mini-bus bill before the break, combining the Commerce-Justice-Science and Agriculture-FDA bills with the Military Construction-VA bill.

We will provide a full report in next week's Tuesday Digest on the state of appropriations from both the House and Senate while they are on their August recess.

Research

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

WHITE HOUSE QUICKLY REVERSES OMB PAUSE ON HEALTH RESEARCH FUNDING

The Trump administration briefly froze nearly $15 billion in NIH research funding this week, directing the agency to halt new and renewed grants. The move, revealed in an OMB budget footnote, would have disrupted core biomedical research nationwide. The White House reversed course within hours.

Unpause

NSF CUTS MOST SENIOR EXECUTIVE POSITIONS, STAFF REDUCTIONS BEGIN OCTOBER

The National Science Foundation has announced reductions in its Senior Executive Service, cutting most career executive positions—from 143 down to 59—effective early October. As part of the reduction‑in‑force plan, affected executives will be demoted or reassigned to vacant roles; those without “fallback” rights may be separated. The agency has reportedly shed about one‑third of its staff since January—including nearly 600 employees—and canceled approximately 1,600 active research grants.

NSF Staffing Changes

HIGHER ED GROUPS ASK NIH TO REINSTATE ALL COURT‑LINKED GRANT TERMINATIONS

Five higher‑education organizations—including the Association of American Universities (AAU), Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), American Council on Education (ACE), Association of Public and Land‑grant Universities (APLU), and COGR—sent a joint letter to NIH Director Bhattacharya this week requesting reinstatement of all NIH grants terminated under agency directives recently ruled unlawful by a federal district court, beyond only those covered in the court’s decisions. The court vacated directives that led to termination of roughly 900 grants, while appeals courts declined to stay the district court’s decision AAU. The letter argues that other grants terminated under the same rationale deserve reinstatement under the same logic.

Association Letter

PRELIMINARY INJUNCTION ISSUED IN NEH GRANT TERMINATION LAWSUIT

A federal district court issued a preliminary injunction in Authors Guild v. NEH, temporarily blocking the National Endowment for the Humanities from reallocating funds from 1,400 grants it terminated between April 1–3. The ruling maintains the status quo while the case proceeds but does not require NEH to disburse funds; monetary relief must be pursued separately in the Court of Federal Claims. The injunction applies to two classes: individual grantees and subrecipients whose NEH grants were canceled during that window.

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

NEW DOJ MEMO WARNS DEI PROGRAMS COULD ENDANGER GRANTS

The U.S. Department of Justice has released a new memo warning that colleges and other federally funded institutions may face loss of federal grant funding if they maintain certain Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices deemed unlawful—such as race‑based scholarships, identity‑based campus spaces, or even regional recruiting strategies tied to demographics. The guidance provides examples of specific practices considered “unlawful” and recommends changes, though the recommendations are not mandatory.

DOJ Guidance

Government Relations Resources

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

1201 Pennsylvania Ave.
District of Columbia, DC | 20004 United States

This email was sent to arlene.melchiorre@duke.edu.
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.