|
|
| The DC Digest
Duke in DC's Top News Today:
- Senate Leaves Town without Minibus Action
- Trump Signs NDAA
- Administration Plans to Dismantle NCAR
- NSF to Implement Organizational Realignment
- Senators Budd and Fetterman Introduce Legislation to Create National AI-Enabled, Automated Lab Netowrk
- NSF Announces New Initiative to Bolster Research Organizations
- Trump Expands Travel Ban to 39 Countries
- Bipartisan Group of Lawmakers Push to Classify Nursing as a Professional Degree
- Post of the Week!
| |
|
| Budget & Appropriations The latest coverage on Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations that are relevant to Duke.
| |
SENATE LEAVES TOWN WITHOUT MINIBUS ACTIONThis week, Senate leaders had worked to strike a deal on a minibus package that would largely fund the government past the January 30th deadline. The proposed deal would have funded the departments of Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Commerce, Justice, Interior, Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development. Action on the minibus stalled due to concerns over the proposed dismantling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR), which we cover in the Research section below. The Senate is now adjourned for the holiday break, with Senate leaders having said they are in agreement on advancing funding bills next month, according to POLITICO.
| |
Research
The latest updates on legislation and regulations that impact Duke's research enterprise.
| |
TRUMP SIGNS NDAAPresident Donald Trump officially signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law this week. The Senate passed the bill on Wednesday in a 77-20 vote, sending the bill to the president’s desk. The chamber previously voted to move ahead on the package last week, following final passage in the House. In a previous digest, we covered provisions of interest to Duke which includes basic research funding, indirect cost rate modifcation rules and more.
| |
ADMINISTRATION PLANS TO DISMANTLE NCARThe administration is planning a restructuring of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, a federally funded research institution based in Colorado. According to Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought, a "comprehensive review" is underway and "vital activities" such as weather research will be moved to another entity or location. Founded in 1960 and supported through the National Science Foundation (NSF), NCAR has been a resource for university researchers performing advanced Earth system research.
| |
NSF TO IMPLEMENT ORGANIZATIONAL REALIGNMENTEarlier this week, the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a new “organizational realignment.” In its update to the research community, NSF stated that, “This structure empowers our staff and the scientific and research community to be more responsive in a rapidly evolving science and technology environment.” As we covered in a May digest, the reorganization eliminates the 37 divisions that were spread across eight directorates. The new organizational chart can be found here.
| |
SENATORS BUDD, FETTERMAN, INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO CREATE NATIONAL AI-ENABLED, AUTOMATED LAB NETWORKThis week, Senators Ted Budd (R-NC) and John Fetterman (D-PA) introduced legislation to establish a national network of up to six remotely accessible programmable cloud laboratories for academic research, led by the NSF. The proposal aims to enable researchers to conduct experiments using shared, cloud-enabled laboratory infrastructure, thereby reducing costs, improving efficiency, and expanding access to advanced research capabilities.
| |
NSF ANNOUNCES NEW INITIATIVE TO BOLSTER RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONSThe National Science Foundation Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (NSF TIP) last week announced the launch of a new initiative designed to introduce a new generation of independent research organizations. According to the announcement, these organizations will focus on technical challenges and bottlenecks that traditional university and industry labs cannot easily solve on their own. The NSF has also issued a Request for Information (RFI) to help shape the initiative.
| |
Immigration
The latest updates on legislation and regulatory actions related to immigration that are relevant to Duke.
| |
TRUMP EXPANDS TRAVEL BAN TO 39 COUNTRIES The Trump administration announced expanded entry restrictions, adding 20 countries to the list, which now includes 39 nations under full or partial bans. Five countries--Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan and Syria--are subject to complete bans, while partial restrictions apply to others such as Nigeria, Angola and several African and Caribbean nations. The proclamation expands the number of countries under a full or partial ban from 19, which we covered when it was announced this summer, to 39. The updated restrictions take effect on January 1, 2026, and current visa holders are exempt. If you have any additional questions or needs, visit Duke Visa Services.
| |
| Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke
| |
BIPARTISAN GROUP OF LAWMAKERS PUSH TO MAKE NURSING A PROFESSIONAL DEGREE
A bipartisan and bicameral group of more than 100 lawmakers has signed on to a letter urging the Department of Education to classify graduate nursing programs as “professional degrees” to avoid proposed federal loan limits of $100,000 for these programs. Under the current framework that was established in one of this year's negotiated rulemaking sessions, professional degrees like medicine and dentistry would retain higher lifetime and annual borrowing caps, while advanced nursing degrees--including MSN, DNP, and PhD--would face lower limits, which lawmakers argue could worsen healthcare workforce shortages. There have also been a few bills proposed to address the issue in other ways, including one that would raise graduate loan limits to match those for professional degrees, and another that would expand the definition of “professional degree” to include nursing, physician assistant and more. While members of Congress continue to work toward a consensus, these efforts signal growing momentum to address the issue.
| |
| Government Relations Resources
| |
|
|
|
|
