The DC Digest

Duke Government Relations

Duke in DC's Top News Today:

Senate Passes Government Funding Bill, Averts Shutdown
NIH Updates
Senators Launch New Bipartisan AI Initiative
Attorneys General Sue to Block Dismantling of Department of Education
Judges Rule Thousands of Fired Federal Workers Be Rehired
Cabinet Level Updates
Post of the Week!

The Highlights 📰

Budget & Appropriations

The latest coverage on Fiscal Year 2025 appropriations that are relevant to Duke.

Duke Government Relations' primer on the federal appropriations process.

SENATE PASSES GOVERNMENT FUNDING BILL, AVERTS SHUTDOWN

The Senate today narrowly averted a government shutdown set to begin at midnight by passing the House's continuing resolution (CR), which funds the federal government through the end of the fiscal year in September. The Senate voted 54-46, almost entirely along party lines.

As we noted Tuesday, the bill increases defense spending by $6 billion and cuts non-defense spending by $13 billion, including the DOD’s Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP), cutting funding from $1.5 billion to $650 million–a 57 percent cut. It largely continues funding for the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, the Department of Energy Office of Science and the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative at FY24 funding levels. The bill also retains language from Section 224 of the FY24 Labor-Health and Human Services-Education bill prohibiting administrative changes to facilities and administrative reimbursements.

Continuing Resolution

Research

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

NIH UPDATES

Last week, the NIH announced plans to centralize peer review of all applications for grants, cooperative agreements, and research and development contracts within the agency’s Center for Scientific Review (CSR). According to the press release, the new centralization effort will apply to the first stage of the review process. CSR currently manages the peer review process for more than 78 percent of NIH grants, and the remaining 22 percent are reviewed in study sections within 23 NIH Institutes and Centers (IC), each operating separately with its own administrative and support overhead. NIH said that the proposed consolidation would eliminate the IC-based study sections so that CSR conducts all first-level review. NIH said that the proposal is now under review with implementation pending external review, which includes review by HHS and the Office of Management and Budget, providing Congress with a 15-day notification period, and issuing a Federal Register notice. The Office of Government Relations continues to monitor these plans and will provide updates as they come.

Plans Announced

SENS. ROUND, HEINRICH LAUNCH NEW AI INITIATIVE

Senators Mike Rounds (R-SD) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) are launching a bipartisan initiative called the American Science Acceleration Project (ASAP) to enhance infrastructure for advancing technologies like artificial intelligence in scientific research. ASAP aims to ensure AI development stays in the U.S., improve access to AI tools and build necessary databases. The initiative also seeks to accelerate scientific progress by investing in data, computing and AI, with the goal of creating a "superhighway" for science by 2030.

AI ASAP

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

ATTORNEYS GENERAL SUE TO BLOCK DISMANTLING OF EDUCATION DEPARTMENT

Twenty Democratic state attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration over significant job cuts at the Education Department, claiming the reductions are undermining the department's ability to carry out essential programs such as federal student aid and civil rights investigations. The suit argues that eliminating half the staff is effectively dismantling key functions, harming both state and federal educational systems.

AG Suit

Additional Federal Relations Items of Interest to Duke

JUDGES RULE THOUSANDS OF FIRED WORKERS BE REHIRED

A second federal judge has ordered the mass reinstatement of fired federal workers, reversing terminations of probationary employees across 18 major agencies, including departments like Agriculture, Commerce, Education and Homeland Security. U.S. District Judge James Bredar's ruling follows an earlier decision by U.S. District Judge William Alsup, both of which found that the Trump administration's large-scale firings violated federal law and regulations. The order mandates that the affected agencies reinstate the employees who were terminated under the administration’s plan to reduce the federal workforce.

Judges Ruling

Trump Administration

CABINET LEVEL UPDATES

On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee was set to hold a hearing for former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) to serve as Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Shortly before the hearing, the White House pulled the nomination. Though no official explanation has been given, it was reported he did not have the votes to pass the Senate and there was growing concern about his criticism of vaccines. This year was the first year the CDC Director has been in a confirmable position, a change that was included in legislation enacted in 2023.

Post of the Week!

Manage your preferences | Opt out using TrueRemove®
Got this as a forward? Sign up to receive our future emails.
View this email online.

1201 Pennsylvania Ave.
District of Columbia, DC | 20004 United States

This email was sent to .
To continue receiving our emails, add us to your address book.