The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Shutdown Day 21
US Chamber of Commerce Sues to Block H-1B Visa Fee
USCIS Provides More Information on $100K H-1B Visa Fee
More Universities Decline to Sign on to Compact Funding Agreement

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.

SHUTDOWN DAY 21

The government shutdown continues into its fourth week, and once again, there is no end in sight after an 11th vote failed to continue funding in the Senate on Monday. Now, reports from POLITICO indicate that GOP leaders might be looking at the next stopgap funding deadline. The House originally passed a seven-week funding measure that would extend funding through Nov. 21st. At the time of this writing, there is no vote scheduled for today.

Shutdown Update

Immigration

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

US CHAMBER SUES WHITE HOUSE TO BLOCK H-1B VISA FEE

The United States Chamber of Commerce filed a lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s proclamation imposing a $100,000 fee on new H-1B visa petitions, arguing it exceeds executive authority and violates federal law. The organization said the fee would cause substantial harm to U.S. businesses and make participation in the H-1B program financially impractical. The case, Chamber of Commerce v. U.S. Department of Homeland Security, is the second legal challenge to the fee, following a similar suit filed earlier in October.

Lawsuit Filed

USCIS PROVIDES ADDITIONAL DETAILS ON $100K H-1B VISA FEE

US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has released additional information clarifying some details for the application of the $100,000 H-1B visa fee established by a September 2025 presidential proclamation. According to USCIS, the fee applies only to new H-1B petitions filed for individuals outside the United States who do not already hold valid H-1B visas. USCIS confirmed that the charge does not apply to petitions involving a change of status, amendment or extension for workers already in the country.

H-1B Update

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

MORE UNIVERSITIES DECLINE COMPACT FUNDING AGREEMENT

Most of the universities approached by the Trump administration about a proposed compact linking federal funding to certain campus policy changes have declined to participate. Seven of the nine institutions originally contacted--including MIT, Brown, Penn, USC, the University of Arizona, Dartmouth and the University of Virginia--have rejected the proposal, while Vanderbilt and the University of Texas have not formally responded yet.

Compact Update

Government Relations Resources

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