BUDGET RECONCILIATION NEWS
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House Leaders Will Press Ahead with a Vote to Advance a $3.5 Trillion Budget Plan
House Democratic leaders told members of their caucus on Tuesday that they plan to press ahead with a vote advancing a $3.5 trillion budget blueprint next week, disregarding warnings from moderate Democrats who said they will oppose that legislation without first voting on a $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. The House is set to return to Washington in the middle of a scheduled August recess in part to advance the budget, after the Senate passed both the bipartisan infrastructure bill and the budget plan earlier this month. But in a statement on Sunday, nine moderate Democrats remained adamant that “we simply can’t afford any delays,” saying they first wanted a vote on the bipartisan deal. But liberal lawmakers have repeatedly emphasized that their support for the $1 trillion bipartisan deal is contingent on passage of the final social policy package, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi has publicly said she will wait to take up the bipartisan bill until the far more expansive package clears the Senate. ( The New York Times - Aug. 17, 2021)
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Senate Budget Blueprint Includes Support for Free Community College, Other Higher Ed Priorities
In quick succession last week, the Senate passed its long-awaited $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure package and a budget resolution that includes free community college, support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and a path to citizenship for Dreamers. The two-track strategy delivers a pair of bills that helps advance the Biden administration’s priorities in a range of areas, including higher education. The budget resolution lays out general spending guidelines for the federal government in the coming fiscal years . . . . Other higher education provisions would increase the maximum Pell Grant award; invest in HBCUs and other MSIs, including money for research infrastructure; and fund student success grants, educator preparation, workforce development, and job training. The resolution also includes a spending increase for the National Science Foundation and funding for a new technology directorate. ( American Council on Education - Aug. 16, 2021)
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Business Leaders Pressure Congress for Immigration Changes
A bipartisan coalition of business leaders announced a nationwide campaign Friday to push Democrats to include in their $3.5 trillion budget reconciliation package a path to citizenship for millions of undocumented immigrants and deliver on long-promised revisions to the U.S. immigration system. Rebecca Shi, executive director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, described the campaign as a “coast-to-coast” effort with a “seven-figure” price tag that will make the case that “immigration reform is urgent, bipartisan and belongs in the budget reconciliation.” The campaign will stretch until the fall, when Democrats are expected to unveil the legislative text of the reconciliation bill. Democrats hope to pass a path to permanent status for certain categories of undocumented immigrants, including those brought to the U.S. as children . . . through the budget reconciliation process. ( Roll Call - Aug. 13, 2021)
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Experts: Lawmakers’ Fixation on Countering China Risks Overkill, Isolation
Both Democrats and Republicans are united in viewing China as the United States’ No. 1 long-term strategic threat. In a time of deep political polarization, the two parties have attempted to forge a bipartisan consensus about how to better compete with, and even contain, China in the military, trade, research and development, and global influence realms. But despite progress in developing a bipartisan approach to help guide U.S.-China policy through new administrations and changes in power on Capitol Hill for years to come, lawmakers this year have been unable to resist scoring partisan political points and posturing for voters. In fact, lawmakers opting to place short-term partisan electoral goals above a carefully calibrated and long-term strategic posture toward China risk jeopardizing the whole effort, according to interviews with longtime China watchers. Although the Senate in June easily passed a sweeping measure aimed at boosting U.S. technological and diplomatic competitiveness vis-a-vis China, the prospects for a similarly bipartisan measure in the House appear dim. ( Roll Call - Aug 17, 2021)
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AI Research Infrastructure Task Force Needs Input on ‘Democratizing’ Resources
The National Science Foundation and the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy are developing a plan to make high-performance computing, machine-learning datasets and other resources more widely available to artificial intelligence researchers at every level. Developing artificial intelligence tools and technologies requires lots of data and even more computing resources. Gaining a national advantage in this area will require a significant concentration of work that is currently limited to agencies and organizations that have those resources. To address this issue, the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act . . . included creation of the National AI Research Resource Task Force, which “has been directed by Congress to develop an implementation roadmap for a shared research infrastructure that would provide artificial intelligence researchers and students across scientific disciplines with access to computational resources, high-quality data, educational tools, and user support,". . . . ( Nextgov - Aug. 17, 2021)
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Collaborating to Fix Student Loans
The Department of Education is planning to continue addressing reforms to the administration of the student loan program —based partly on the input of two Democratic senators, according to a letter sent by Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona earlier this month. Cardona told Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat from New York, and Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat from Massachusetts, that in the upcoming months, the department will be working to improve targeted debt relief, address student loan servicing and debt collection and strengthen oversight and enforcement of both institutions and accrediting agencies. Both Schumer and Warren have been vocal about issues related to student debt throughout the first year of the Biden administration. Both have been calling for the president to unilaterally cancel $50,000 in student loan debt per person, while Warren has been particularly focused on the need for improvements to the administration of the student loan program. ( Inside Higher Ed - Aug. 16, 2021)
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Education Department Clarifies Rules on Professional Judgment
The Department of Education has updated prior guidance to financial aid administrators about their authority to exercise “professional judgment” for individual financial aid applicants and adjust recently unemployed applicants’ income to zero. This action is designed to ensure that students receive the maximum benefit to which they are entitled toward their postsecondary education. ( Inside Higher Ed - Aug. 17, 2021)
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