The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Senate Republicans Release FY26 Homeland Security Funding Bill
House SST Hearing on Research Security
DOE Under Secretary for Science Appears Before House SST Committee
Trump Administration Appeals Harvard Ruling
Senate Clears Additional Federal Agency Nominations
Trump Nominates Joshua Rudd to Lead NSA

The DC Digest will return after the new year. Happy Holidays!

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.

SENATE REPUBLICANS RELEASE FY26 HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING BILL

Republicans on the Senate Appropriations Committee have put forward the text of a proposed 2026 homeland security spending bill that includes $92.3 billion for DHS in fiscal 2026, comprising nearly $66 billion in discretionary spending and $26.3 billion for the Disaster Relief Fund. It also includes roughly $896 million for the Science and Technology Directorate, which is a 20.8% increase over the FY 2025 enacted funding level. Congress will return to the Hill after the holidays with a deadline to pass annual spending bills for most federal agencies by Jan. 30, when the current continuing resolution (CR) expires.

Bill Text

Research

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

HOUSE SST HEARING ON RESEARCH SECURITY

Last week, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee held a hearing to receive an update from representatives from the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Energy on the implementation of research security requirements set forth by the CHIPS and Science Act and National Security Presidential Memorandum (NSPM)-33. During his opening statement, Chairman Brian Babin (R-TX) expressed concern about the security of the nation’s research enterprise, noting, “openness, one of our very greatest strengths, also makes us very vulnerable to foreign actors seeking to bypass the hard work and the cost of original innovation and infiltrate research programs.”

Research Security Hearing

DOE UNDER SECRETARY FOR SCIENCE APPEARS BEFORE HOUSE SST COMMITTEE
The Department of Energy (DOE) Under Secretary for Science, Dr. Dario Gil, recently appeared as a witness before the House Science, Space, and Technology (SST) Committee, where he reiterated the Administration’s support for fusion, AI and quantum initiatives, and focused primarily on the launch of the Genesis Mission. When asked about DOE’s recently announced reorganization, he shared that fusion science and the national labs would remain under the Office of Science, but could not provide more details about the reorganization at that time.

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

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION APPEALS HARVARD RULING

Last week, the Trump administration filed an appeal of the ruling against the federal government’s roughly $2.2 billion freeze of Harvard University’s research funding. This fall, a federal judge struck down the freeze orders, ruling the government acted unlawfully and violated the university’s First Amendment rights, ruling "there is, in reality, little connection between the research affected by the grant terminations and antisemitism." The judge made a final determination in October, concluding the Trump administration violated the Administrative Procedure Act, and its actions were “arbitrary and capricious.” The administration’s appeal fulfills its promise in September to contest the ruling.

Appeal Filed

Trump Administration

SENATE CLEARS ADDITIONAL AGENCY NOMINATIONS
The Senate voted 67-30 last week to confirm Jared Isaacman as the new head of NASA along bipartisan lines. All 30 senators who voted against him were Democrats. The Senate also confirmed multiple nominations for leadership roles at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, NOAA and select defense S&T positions.

TRUMP NOMINATES JOSHUA RUDD AS NSA OFFICIAL
The Pentagon announced last week the nomination of Army Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd, the ‌deputy ‌commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, to serve as director of ‍the National Security Agency ‍and head of the U.S. Cyber ‍Command. The current acting head of the National Security Agency (NSA) is Lieutenant General William J. Hartman, who has been performing the duties of director since April.

Government Relations Resources

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