This week’s Federal Update covers Congressional, Executive Branch and Judicial Branch activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Activities of Interest
Floor Activity
The House and Senate were both in session this week.
On Monday, March 3, the U.S. Senate officially confirmed Linda McMahon as the 13th Secretary of Education. After being sworn in, Secretary McMahon issued a memo outlining the Department of Education’s “final mission.” According to the memo, “the Department of Education’s role in this new era of accountability is to restore the rightful role of state oversight in education and to end the overreach from Washington.”
Also on Monday, in a procedural vote along party lines, the Senate rejected legislation that would have banned transgender athletes from playing in women’s sports at institutions that receive federal funds. The House passed its version of the bill in January with two Democrats supporting the measure.
On March 4, President Donald Trump addressed both chambers of Congress to outline his priorities for his second term in office. During his remarks, President Trump detailed actions he said were taken to reduce waste and listed grants that have been canceled.Watch President Trump’s address to Congress here.
FY25 Appropriations
House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) told reporters this week that House Republicans are aiming to release the text of a full-year continuing resolution (CR) sometime this weekend. Meanwhile, House Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) issued a press release arguing against a full-year CR. Congress has until March 14 to act in order to avert a government shutdown.
Bills Introduced
H.R.1739 – Higher Education Fiscal Accountability & Transparency (HERO) Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX). This legislation requires colleges and universities to publish detailed student success metrics, including employment outcomes, student debt levels, and loan repayment rates. The legislation adds a risk-sharing requirement for institutions, requiring them to repay an annual fine based on the overall amount of outstanding federal student loans for which students are not making regular, on-time payments.
H.R.1666 – Pell Grant Inflation Adjustment Act, introduced by Rep. Sean Casten (D-IL-6), would index the maximum Pell Grant award to keep pace with inflation.
H.R.1825 – (No bill title yet available) Introduced by Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ), seeks to eliminate the Office of Enforcement within the Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) under the Department of Education. The Office of Enforcement is responsible for investigating misconduct by institutions that receive federal student aid funds, including violations related to loan servicing and for-profit college fraud.
S.826 – Reintroduced by Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), the “Preventing Antisemitic Harassment on Campus Act” would extend the scope of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion and codify escalating penalties for institutions that are repeat offenders.
Hearings This Week
- In the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Indiana Senator Jim Banks introduced Elbridge Colby alongside Vice President J.D. Vance in the nomination hearing for Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Sen. Banks highlighted Colby’s role in shaping the previous administration’s National Defense Strategy, particularly his focus on military competition with China and ensuring U.S. military superiority in the Pacific. During his second round of questioning, Senator Jim Banks reinforced his support for Elbridge Colby’s strategic defense priorities, particularly regarding military resource allocation and national security threats. Sen. Banks expressed concern over the depletion of missile defense stockpiles in less critical regions while Indo-Pacific Command faces severe shortages. Sen. Banks also praised President Trump’s diplomatic approach, citing Ukraine’s willingness to negotiate peace as proof of the administration’s strategic leverage. Watch the Hearing Here.
- On March 4, the Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Subcommittee held a hearing titled "Moving the Goalposts: How NIL is Reshaping College Athletics." Indiana Congresswoman Erin Houchin sits on this committee and was engaged in questioning the witnesses. Rep. Houchin criticized the patchwork of state laws that have turned NIL into a “wild west” where student-athletes are vulnerable to exploitation, misleading contracts, and recruitment inducements. Houchin raised concerns about the absence of clear Title IX protections in the recent House v. NCAA settlement, asking how it will impact gender equity in college sports. She stressed that without federal intervention, the integrity of college athletics and opportunities for student-athletes particularly in non-revenue-generating sports are at risk. Watch the Hearing Here.
- On March 4, the House Science Committee’s Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight held a hearing titled, “Assessing the Threat to U.S. Funded Research.” In his opening remarks, subcommittee Chairman Rich McCormick (R-GA) shared that Congress should review federal regulations that are seen both as too burdensome and as too lenient. He said that Congress should work with research institutions to implement new methods to ensure accountability and equally confirm that grant awards have contractual mechanisms to certify that background checks on staff are completed. Watch a recording of the hearing here.
- On March 4, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee held a hearing on the nomination of Dr. Jayanta Bhattacharya to serve as Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Senator Jim Banks asked Dr. Bhattacharya about the role of NIH in pandemics and about the public health impacts that COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns have on American society. A recording of the nomination hearing may be found here.
Executive Branch Activities of Interest
Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism Announces Visits to Ten Campuses, Review of Federal Grants and Contracts to Columbia University
Last Friday, the Department of Justice announced that a federal task force will visit ten universities to investigate reports of antisemitism on college campuses. The ten universities on the task force’s list are: Columbia University; George Washington University; Harvard University; Johns Hopkins University; New York University; Northwestern University; the University of California, Berkeley; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Minnesota; and the University of Southern California.
The press release announcing the visits noted that the task force “will meet with university leadership, impacted students and staff, local law enforcement, and community members as it gathers information about these incidents and considers whether remedial action is warranted.”
Separately, the Department of Education announced that the Federal Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is also “considering Stop Work Orders for $51.4 million in contracts between Columbia University and the federal government.” In addition, the task force will be conducting “a comprehensive review of the more than $5 billion in federal grant commitments to Columbia University to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities.”
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Publishes Rule Change on Notice and Comment Procedure
On March 3, HHS publisheda rule in the Federal Registerstating that it is immediately “rescinding the policy on Public Participation in Rule Making and re-aligning the Department’s rule-making procedures with the Administrative Procedure Act.” The Department will no longer participate in the public notice and comment process before issuing new rules regarding most agency matters or decisions, including those related to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and those related to grants and contracts awarded by the agency.
Judicial Branch Activities of Interest
Judge issues preliminary injunction blocking proposed 15% cap on NIH facilities and administrative (F&A) costs
On March 5, Judge Angel Kelley issued a preliminary injunction halting the implementation, application, or enforcement of the National Institutes of Health’s February 7 supplemental guidance imposing a cap of 15% on F&A costs. The injunction applies to all institutions nationwide.