July 17, 2025

This week’s Federal Update covers Congressional and Executive activities of interest in Washington, D.C.

Congressional Branch Activities of Interest

Floor Activity 

The House and Senate were in session this week. On July 16, the Senate passed, by a vote of 51-48, a rescissions bill to claw back roughly $9 billion from funds already appropriated.  The Senate-passed recission bill removed earlier proposals to cut $400 million from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The Senate package includes cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funds NPR and PBS. Because the Senate amended the House’s recission bill, the House will need to vote on the amended measure.

FY 2026 Appropriations

On July 15, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) released updated subcommittee allocations for FY26, including $892.5 billion for defense spending and $705.6 billion for nondefense spending (a 6% cut from FY25 enacted levels). In total, the allocations represent a $45 billion decrease in spending for FY26 compared to FY25. 

FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act

On July 15, the House Armed Services Committee marked up the FY26 National Defense Authorization Act, advancing the bill in a 55-2 vote. The bill would authorize $848.2 billion in defense spending, which is consistent with the levels requested by the Trump administration. 
  
The House committee-passed version of the bill includes a prohibition on gain-of-function research; a funding restriction for institutions of higher education that have not taken action to mitigate and prevent antisemitic demonstrations; and measures that extend the restriction on fundamental research collaborations with certain academic institutions and that prohibit principal investigators’ future employment with foreign entities of concern. 
  
The Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) approved its version of the FY26 NDAA last week. The SASC bill includes a $32 billion topline budget increase. Section 226 of the bill would prohibit the modification of indirect cost rates by the secretary of defense; Section 216 would prohibit contracts between certain foreign entities and institutions of higher education conducting DOD-funded research; and Section 220C would restrict defense funding to institutions with fundamental research collaborations with entities on the 1286 list, a Department of Defense list of foreign institutions engaging in problematic activity. 

Markups

On July 15, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade marked up the Student Compensation and Opportunity through Rights and Endorsements (SCORE) Act (H.R. 4312). As covered in previous newsletters, the SCORE Act would allow student-athletes to enter Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals independently with limited exceptions. The bill passed the subcommittee by a 12-11 vote and will now advance to the full committee. Watch the markup here.
 

Bill Introduced

The Defend Girls Athletics Act (H.R. 4363) - Introduced by Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY), the bill requires elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education to confirm that they are complying with President Trump’s February 5 Executive Order titled, “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports.” Colleges and universities would be required to submit an annual verification to the Department of Education to receive Title IV funds. Indiana Representatives Erin Houchin (R), Mark Messmer (R), Jefferson Shreve (R), Marlin Stutzman (R), and Rudy Yakym (R), are all original co-sponsors of the legislation.

DIGNITY Act of 2025 (Bill number not yet assigned) - Reintroduced by Reps. Maria Elvira Salavar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX), the DIGNITY Act is a bipartisan immigration reform bill. The DIGNITY Act includes a pathway for Dreamers (young adults brought to the United States as children who are not U.S. citizens and lack legal immigration status) to obtain lawful permanent resident status. The bill also eases the pathway for high-skilled and STEM talent from abroad to obtain employment-based visas. The press release and fact-sheet may be found here.

Senate Democrats Release Report on Competition with China

On July 14, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen (D), along with other Democratic members of the committee, released a report on the consequences of the Trump Administration's “global retreat” and subsequent gains for China. The report presents trade relations, foreign aid cuts, and the suspension of counter-disinformation projects as key points of consideration, while also noting that scientific research and development within universities are at risk. The report suggests that drawbacks in grant funding and international student enrollment are prompting many respected scientists to consider leaving the U.S., contributing to declining research strength and a loss of global talent. Read the full report here.