Washington Update

Rescissions Package Update
The Trump administration released a rescissions package yesterday totaling more than $15 billion. The proposed cuts are all to unobligated funds from years prior to FY2018. The administration has telegraphed that it will also offer a rescissions package focused on FY2018 appropriations, although the timing and specific nature of such a proposal is currently unclear.

Once the administration delivers a rescissions proposal, a temporary freeze to the specific funds targeted for cuts begins. Unless Congress takes action on the rescissions package, the freeze will last for 45 legislative days.

In advance of the package offered yesterday, APLU, in coordination with the American Council on Education (ACE) and others, sent a letter to Capitol Hill and the Office of Management and Budget expressing concern with the unique problems that would have been created if the recessions package had included student aid, given that the federal student aid year begins on July 1.

APLU Expresses Support for Legislation to Restore Advance Refunding Bonds

APLU joined the Public Financing Network and others to urge support for H.R. 5003. Introduced by Representative Randy Hultgren (R-IL), the legislation would restore advance refunding bonds that were eliminated in H.R. 1, the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act, enacted late last year.

Ad Hoc Group’s FY2019 NIH Request

APLU and many universities, along with other scientific organizations and patient advocacy groups signed on to the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research’s FY2019 recommendation of $39.3 billion for the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This figure represents an NIH funding increase of at least $2 billion in addition to funds provided through the 21st Century Cures Act (a total increase of $2.215 billion over FY2018).