Washington Update

New Resources on Uniform Guidance 
APLU, AAU and COGR jointly developed a high-level brief highlighting five key issues for institutions to begin considering as they evaluate the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB)’s proposed revisions to Uniform Guidance that were published on May 29.   

Key Resource: In addition to APLU’s Key Issues document, the brief serves as a resource for members by outlining several areas that may have significant implications for the administration, oversight, and conduct of federally funded research. The brief is meant to help focus constructive campus discussions and covers the following issues: 

• Expanded agency discretion in funding decisions 
• Expanded agency abilities to suspend and terminate grants 
• Changes in allowable and unallowable costs on grants 
• Restrictions on international collaboration and expanded reporting and monitoring of subrecipients 
• Elimination of fixed amount awards and subaward.  

APLU will work with the Councils on Governmental Affairs (CGA), Legal Affairs (CLA), Research (COR), and other councils as the association drafts a formal response.  

Fiscal Year 2027 Appropriations Action 
The House Committee on Appropriations took action on the FY27 Agriculture, Labor HHS-ED, Interior, and Homeland Security bills. In addition to the following overview, APLU developed a chart with the latest available funding levels summarized by subcommittee for bills with APLU priority accounts. 
 
Agriculture 
On Thursday, June 3, the House passed the FY27 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, by a vote of 213–210. The bill provides $26.27 billion in discretionary funding, approximately 1.4 percent below the FY26-enacted level. The bill also holds all APLU priority accounts flat relative to FY26 enacted levels. The Senate Appropriations Committee  postponed its markup until later this month. 

Labor-Health and Human Services-Education 
On Tuesday, the House Appropriations Committee advanced the FY27 Labor-Health and Human Services, Education bill on a 34–28 vote.  

APLU’s appropriations chart contains the funding levels for priority accounts. Highlights from selected accounts and policy provisions of interest include: 
 
National Institutes of Health 
The House Labor- HHS-ED bill would provide $47.3 billion in base funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), $100 million more than the total for NIH in FY26.  

• Additionally, the bill includes a substantial funding reduction for the CDC and would eliminate funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Patient Centered Research Institute (PCORI). 

U.S. Department of Education 
The legislation provides a small increase of $50 in the maximum Pell Grant. The bill offsets the substantial Pell budget shortfall, but does so through cuts and eliminations of other higher education priorities, including eliminating subsidized loans for undergraduate students. The bill directs funding to the Pell program as follows: 

• $16.27 billion for fiscal year 2027;  
• And $1.24 billion for fiscal year 2028 and each succeeding fiscal year. 

The bill also provides $493 million for the Institute for Education Sciences (IES), a severe $296 million cut from the FY26 enacted level.  

APLU’s summary chart sourced details on additional priority accounts from the committee report for Higher Education Act Title VI International Education programs, Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grands (SEOG), Federal Work Study, and more.  

Of note, within the manager’s amendment in the committee markup, two key changes were inserted into the bill. The bill now includes language intended to require ED to expand professional loan limits to nursing programs. Additionally, language was inserted intended to block ED’s changes to the TRIO program. 

Interior 
On Wednesday, June 3, the full House Appropriations Committee approved the FY27 Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill on a 35–27 vote. The bill report contains specific reprogramming guidance for agencies, including advanced approval from Congress on altered budget activity and quarterly reports on reprogram spending. The bill provides: 

• $527.9 million for EPA Science and Technology, $216.3 million (29 percent) below FY26 enacted levels. 
• $135 million for NEH, $72 million (35 percent) below FY26 enacted levels. 
• $12 million for the Joint Fire Science Program, $6 million (100 percent) above FY26 enacted levels. 
• $29 million for USGS Cooperative Research Units $800,000 (2.8 percent) above FY26 enacted levels.  
• $16.5 million for USGS Water Resources Research Act, $500,000 (3 percent) above FY26 enacted levels. 
   

Bipartisan Group of Senators Release the Protect College Sports Act 
On May 27, a bipartisan group of senators, including the Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Commerce Committee, Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), released a compromise measure, the Protect College Sports Act, to “stabilize college sports, protect athletes, and expand revenue sharing.”  

The measure is a Senate answer to the House’s SCORE Act, which was previously noticed for floor consideration but ultimately pulled. Chairman Cruz and Ranking Member Cantwell are joined by Senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Chris Coons (D-DE). 
 
The bill text and section-by-section summary are linked in the committee’s press release. 

FY27 National Defense Authorization Act Updates 
Last week, the House Armed Services Committee approved its version of the FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on a 44–2 bipartisan vote. The House bill authorizes $1.15 trillion for the Pentagon. Congress may pursue an extra $350 billion in a third reconciliation bill, which would bring defense funding to a record $1.5 trillion, an increase of over $500 billion from FY26 levels. Debate on the bill centered on Pentagon acquisition rules, military readiness, and national security priorities. APLU will continue to engage on the NDAA and provisions of interest to the higher education community, including any changes to research security and limitations on international collaboration.  

Go Deeper: The House is expected to take up the bill by the July recess where several floor amendments are anticipated. The Senate Armed Services Committee begins to mark up its version this week, mostly behind closed doors.  
 
District Court Grants Nationwide Vacatur of Four USCIS Policies 
In a ruling issued on June 5, Chief Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island vacated the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) Global Asylum Hold Policy, Benefits Hold Policy, Comprehensive Re-Review Policy, and Country-Specific Factors Policy, which refers to the 39 countries under a travel ban. 
 
The court found unlawful violations of the Administrative Procedure Act and vacated the policies in their entirety, providing relief that extends beyond the named plaintiffs. A USCIS spokesperson told The New York Times, “It’s definitely not the end of this…and this case is definitely headed to the Supreme Court.” 
 
Why it matters: The vacated USCIS policies had led to broad pauses and heightened scrutiny of immigration benefit adjudications for individuals from certain countries. The decision may help reduce delays and uncertainty affecting students, scholars, and employees from the 39 countries covered by the travel ban and other populations subject to the challenged policies. 
 
USDA Updates General Terms & Conditions 
On Wednesday, June 3, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) published an approved deviation to its General Terms & Conditions that amends text impacting research security policy on campuses that receive funding from the agency.  

This deviation addresses a few limited concerns raised by APLU and member institutions concerning research security. It does not address the challenged conditions within Section 13, “Compliance with Executive Orders and Other Presidential Actions,” which are subject to ongoing litigation by 20 state attorneys general.  

U.S. Departments of Education and State Open First HEA Title VI Grant Competition, Centers Aligned with Areas for National Need Program  
On June 3, the U.S. Department of Education (ED), in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, published its Centers Aligned with Areas for National Need (CAANN) Program grant opportunity on Grants.gov. This is the first grant competition to be released following ED’s interagency agreement to transfer responsibility for the Title VI program to the State Department. The FY26 competition, however, will remain at the U.S. Department of Education.   

The program description on Grants.gov has been updated from a prior version previously posted on the Department of Education’s website and now includes additional world regions and languages.