This week’s Federal Update covers Congressionalm, Executive, and Judicial activities of interest in Washington, D.C.
Congressional Branch activities of interest
Floor Activity
The Senate convened on July 28 and is scheduled to be in session through August 1.
The House is in recess until September 2.
FY 2026 Appropriations
On July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY26 Labor-Health & Human Services-Education (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill. NIH funding is to increase by $400 million from the current fiscal year, which is also $20 billion more than the President requested for FY26.
On July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved the FY26 Defense appropriations bill. The bill has a total of $852 billion for the Department of Defense, which is a $21.7 billion (or 2.6%) increase over the President’s FY26 request.
The markup for both appropriations bills can be viewed here.
14 Republican Senators Urge White House to Release Delayed NIH Funds
On July 25, Politico reported that Alabama Senator Katie Britt (R) led 13 of her Senate Republican colleagues in sending a letter to White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought requesting the Trump administration to disburse funds appropriated for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in FY25 in a timely manner. The letter noted that withholding this funding “could threaten Americans’ ability to access better treatments and limit our nation’s leadership in biomedical science.” Indiana Senator Todd Young was a signatory to the letter.
Bills Introduced
College Transparency Act (Bill number not yet assigned) - Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) introduced the College Transparency Act. The bill aims to create a postsecondary student data system that would evaluate student enrollment patterns, progression, completion, and postsecondary outcomes, along with higher education costs and financial aid for institutions in the U.S. A companion bill was also introduced in the House by Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL). Read the press release here.
College Athlete Economic Freedom Act (S.2470) - Introduced by Senator Christopher Murphy (D-CT), the bill would establish an unrestricted federal right for college athletes to market their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). The bill includes provisions that permit international athletes to market their NIL without jeopardizing their visa status, encourages discussions between athletes and colleges regarding the use of athletes' NIL for promotional and media rights agreements, and ensures that colleges and collectives facilitate NIL deals without discrimination based on gender, race, or sport. Read the press release here.
Adjunct Faculty Loan Fairness Act of 2025 (S.2485) - Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced a bill to allow adjunct faculty members to qualify for public service loan forgiveness. Read the press release here.
College for the American People (CAP) Act (H.R. 4743) - Representatives Tom Tiffany (R-WI) and Andrew Clyde (R-GA) introduced the Colleges for the American People Act, also known as the CAP Act. This legislation would remove the H-1B visa cap exemption for institutions of higher education. Read the press release here.
Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act (H.R. 4795) - Representatives Virginia Foxx (R-NC) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) have introduced the Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act. The legislation would prohibit universities from receiving federal student aid if they engage in commercial and academic boycotts dictated by those in the boycott-sanction-divest (BDS) movement. Read the press release here.
Executive Branch activities of interest
NIH Announces Effort to Block Research Funding Flows; Quickly Reverses Course
On July 29, the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) halted payments from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to researchers, according to a memo sent to the institute and center directors at the agency. The memo directed NIH officials to immediately halt the issuing of research grants, research and development contracts, and training awards during a “pause” of unspecified duration. Several hours later, the Administration reversed the move and reinstated the funding, according to statements from the agency as reported by the Washington Post.
Judicial Branch activities of interest
Federal Judge Blocks Cancellation of National Endowment for the Humanities Grants
In a ruling issued July 25, a federal judge in New York blocked the Trump Administration's cancellation of $175 million in National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grants during a period of mass cancellations of NEH awards between April 1 and April 3, 2025. The decision noted that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had violated the First Amendment by ordering grant cancellations “based on the recipients’ perceived viewpoint, in an effort to drive such views out of the marketplace of ideas.”