U.S. Drops Visa Fraud Cases Against Five Chinese Researchers
The Justice Department dropped cases against five visiting researchers accused of hiding their affiliations with China’s military, in a major setback to a landmark effort to root out alleged Chinese intelligence-gathering in the U.S. In brief court filings late Thursday and Friday, prosecutors said they would no longer pursue visa fraud and other charges against the scientists, including biomedical and cancer researchers in California and a doctoral candidate studying artificial intelligence in Indiana. A Justice Department spokesman said “recent developments” in the cases had prompted the department to re-evaluate the prosecutions. ( The Wall Street Journal - July 23, 2021)
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Senate Confirms Shyu for R&E, Kendall Still on HoldThe full Senate today confirmed the nomination of Heidi Shyu to be the Pentagon's research and engineering chief, along with the nominees to be Defense Department general counsel and Air Force under secretary, among others. Noticeably absent from the list was Frank Kendall, whom President Biden has nominated to be Air Force secretary. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), a longtime critic of the close relationships between government officials and defense contractors, earlier this month lifted holds she previously placed on the nominations of Kendall and Shyu after successfully getting the nominees to extend their government ethics pledges. In addition to Shyu, senators today approved by unanimous consent the nominations of Caroline Krass for DOD general counsel, Gina Ortiz Jones for Air Force under secretary, Ely Ratner for assistant secretary of defense for Indo-Pacific security, Shawn Skelly for assistant secretary of defense for readiness and Meredith Berger for assistant secretary of the Navy for energy, installations, and environment. Jill Hruby was also confirmed to be head of the National Nuclear Security Administration. ( Inside Defense - July 22, 2021)
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AAU Sends Letter to Senate and House Budget Committee Leaders on FY22 Funding PrioritiesAAU President Barbara R. Snyder sent a letter urging Senate and House Budget Committee leaders to make bold investments in the health, security, prosperity, and future of our nation as they craft the FY22 budget. Emphasizing the critical role AAU member institutions played in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the significance of America’s leading research universities to the local and national economy, the letter urged lawmakers to take steps to improve college affordability and to renew the government-university partnership. The letter specifically asked committee leaders to include provisions in the FY22 budget to double the maximum Pell Grant award to $13,000 and to increase funding for other federal student aid programs; to invest in scientific and research infrastructure to empower groundbreaking research discoveries and innovations; and to provide funding for federal research agencies consistent with the bipartisan Research Investment to Spark the Economy, or RISE, Act. “As our nation looks beyond COVID-19 and to a brighter future, we ask that you renew America’s crucial strategic investments in the programs and institutions that are helping pull our nation out of this pandemic,” the letter noted. ( Association of American Universities - July 23, 2021)
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New Student-visa Data Paint an Optimistic Picture for Fall EnrollmentsAs U.S. consulates around the world reopen, student-visa issuance is returning to pre-pandemic levels, bringing relief to American colleges that had feared yet another semester with many international students stranded overseas. American consulates approved almost 117,000 F-1 student visas in May and June, or 93 percent of the number of student visas issued in the same two months in 2019, according to a Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of State data. This year’s numbers reflect the clearing of a backlog, as not only new international students but also those who deferred or who studied remotely over the past year seek visas. A major turning point for international students was the decision by the Biden administration in late April to give student-visa holders from Brazil, China, Iran, and South Africa a national-interest exemption, permitting them to come to the United States despite Covid 19-related travel restrictions. ( The Chronicle of Higher Education - July 23, 2021)
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Continuing Relief for Borrowers?Calls are continuing to grow for the Biden administration to extend the student loan repayment "pause" that expires at the end of September, as recent survey data show that borrowers aren’t prepared for payments to resume, while the Department of Education has yet to communicate a decision with the deadline fast approaching. An analysis by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that two-thirds of respondents to a survey conducted this past spring said it would be difficult for them to afford payments if they resumed a month from the date they took the survey. In another survey, conducted by Student Debt Crisis, 90 percent of the nearly 24,000 borrowers surveyed said they were not ready to resume payments in October. With only a little over two months before the pause is scheduled to end, policy makers, advocates and experts are concerned about the lack of information coming from the administration and the potential for chaos to ensue if it decides that payments should resume. ( Inside Higher Ed - July 23, 2021)
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Commerce Department Announces $3 Billion in Funding OpportunitiesYesterday, the Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced $3 billion in funding opportunities as part of a new series of programs called Investing in America’s Communities. Using funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the agency will make grants in six programs to “support bottom-up, middle-out economic development focused on advancing equity, creating good-paying jobs, helping workers to develop in-demand skills, building economic resilience, and accelerating the economic recovery for the industries and communities hit hardest by the coronavirus pandemic.” More information about the funding opportunities can be found here. ( Association of American Universities - July 23, 2021)
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