The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Shutdown Day 31
SASC Holds Hearing to Consider the Nomination of Joseph Jewell for Assistant S&T Defense Secretary
Federal Judge Indefinitely Blocks Trump’s Latest Layoffs
Post of the Week!

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 31

The federal government shutdown has now stretched to 31 days--just four days short of the longest in U.S. history--with growing real-world impacts. Without congressional action, benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will lapse on November 1 for the first time ever, affecting more than 42 million Americans. The White House has redirected funds to ensure military pay through October 31, but officials warn that payments may not continue into November. The House remains in recess--the chamber passed its stopgap funding to extend through November 21st--while early Senate talks between Democrats and Republican leaders have sparked cautious optimism about a potential bipartisan path forward that could include debate on extending Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits. As a reminder, the Office of Government Relations is monitoring the impacts of the shutdown as it continues.

Shutdown Blog

Research

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

SASC HOLDS HEARING TO CONSIDER ASSISTANT S&T DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINATION

This week, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) held a hearing to consider the nominations of several defense-related positions, including the nomination of Joseph S. Jewell to be the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology. Jewell is an associate professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue University. The hearing also considered the nominations of Marc Berkowitz, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, James Caggy, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of Defense for Mission Capabilities, and Brendan Rogers, nominated to be Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Energy, Installations and Environment.

Nomination Hearing

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

FEDERAL JUDGE BLOCKS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT LAYOFFS

A federal judge in San Francisco indefinitely blocked President Trump’s latest wave of federal workforce cuts, ruling that the layoffs were likely unlawful and potentially politically motivated. The injunction halts the administration from proceeding with approximately 4,000 planned layoffs across federal agencies, including nearly 500 positions at the Department of Education.

Judge Rule

Post of the Week!

Government Relations Resources

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