The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

House Releases Initial CR Language
Judge Declines to Restore $1B in Cut NSF Funds
Education Department to Redirect Funds to HBCUs, Civics Grant Program
Trump Administration Withholds $660M for College Access Programs

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 RELEASES INITIAL CONTINUING RESOLUTION LANGUAGE

House Republicans today released a seven-week spending bill with plans to vote as soon as Friday. There are just two weeks before government funding is set to run out on September 30th. The proposed continuing resolution (CR) maintains current federal funding levels, plus the addition of $58 million to boost security for the federal judiciary and for executive branch officials, following a request from the White House. If passed, it would fund the government through November 20th to allow appropriators to continue negotiations and reach an agreement for FY26 funding. At the current moment, it is unclear what a potential Senate bill will contain and whether or not the government will actually shut down. The Office of Government Relations (OGR) will continue to monitor the situation and provide timely updates as it unfolds.

House CR Text

Research

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

FEDERAL JUDGE DECLINES TO RESTORE $1B IN CUT NSF FUNDS

A federal judge has allowed a lawsuit to proceed against the National Science Foundation (NSF) over its decision to terminate more than $1 billion in grants connected to diversity, equity and inclusion research. The judge declined to restore the funding while the case moves forward, citing limits on jurisdiction and a recent Supreme Court ruling that directs such monetary claims to another federal court. The lawsuit was filed in June by unions and higher education associations after NSF issued new priorities in April stating that research should not preference or exclude specific groups.

Judge's Ruling

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 TO REDIRECT FUNDS TO HBCUs, CIVIC GRANT PROGRAMS

The Education Department announced nearly $500 million in redirected federal funding to historically Black colleges and tribal colleges, representing a one-time 48 percent increase for HBCUs and more than double the previous level of funding for tribal institutions. The shift follows cuts of $350 million from other minority-serving college grant programs that the department said were unconstitutional due to enrollment-based eligibility. Additional reallocations include $60 million for charter schools and $137 million for American history and civics grants. The changes reflect an executive action issued earlier this year to repurpose federal funds toward school choice and related initiatives.

Fund Redirect

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION WITHHOLDS $660M FOR COLLEGE ACCESS PROGRAMS

Hundreds of millions of dollars in federal TRIO grants have been frozen, which fund programs that support low-income and first-generation college students. Institutions and nonprofits that had already been approved for awards expected funding by the end of August but instead received “no cost extensions,” allowing operations to continue temporarily without new funds. The Department has said it will issue grant awards by Sept. 30.

TRIO Funds

Government Relations Resources

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