The Highlights 📰

SENATE FAILS TO PASS HOMELAND SECURITY BILL AMID FOUR-WEEK SHUTDOWN

The Senate on Thursday failed to advance a House‑passed bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), extending the agency’s shutdown through its fourth week. The motion failed 51--46, falling short of the 60 votes required. This marks the fourth time since Feb. 12 that the Senate has failed to pass DHS funding legislation.

HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE TO HOLD OVERSIGHT HEARING ON NIH

Next week, the House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee on Oversight is set to hold a hearing on the National Institutes of Health (NIH), where NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya is expected to serve as a witness. The hearing will be on Tuesday, March 17th, at 10:30 am. 

EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO ALLOW INSTITUTIONS TO REQUEST ACTS REPORTING EXTENSION

The Association of Institutional Research (AIR) shared guidance indicating that colleges unable to meet the March 18, 2026, deadline to submit data to the Admissions and Consumer Transparency Supplement (ACTS) may request an extension until April 8, 2026, under certain conditions. AIR said the extension option was confirmed by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), part of the U.S. Department of Education. ACTS is a new mandatory IPEDS data collection for selective four‑year institutions beginning in 2025–26, requiring multi‑year, disaggregated reporting on applicants, admits, and enrollees by race, sex, GPA, test scores, income and financial aid. Institutions seeking an extension must meet specified eligibility requirements.

GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG SAYS ED EASED OVERSIGHT OF LOAN SERVICERS

A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says the Department of Education has ended key oversight activities used to evaluate student loan servicers’ data accuracy and customer service quality. GAO linked the change to major staffing reductions at Federal Student Aid, noting that the agency stopped auditing records and monitoring customer service calls in early 2025. As a result, GAO warned that “FSA lacks assurance that borrower records are correct and that servicers are giving borrowers quality information,” increasing the risk of billing errors or incorrect repayment status for borrowers. The administration and servicer groups responded that other, less labor‑intensive accountability tools remain in place and provide sufficient oversight.

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