Washington Update

Appropriations Update 
It remains exceedingly unlikely Congress will complete FY27 appropriations bills before the end of the federal fiscal year on September 30. Both chambers face significant hurdles, which are being exacerbated by a congressional calendar with limited remaining legislative days. An August recess, a week off during Labor Day, and other district work periods during campaign season put pressure on the remaining time in session. Further, it is likely Democrats see an interest in waiting until after the election as they may or may not have more leverage in negotiations following the midterms. 
 
House State-of-Play 
The House, which started its FY27 appropriations process earlier, is significantly further along than the Senate. By June, the House already advanced all 12 federal funding bills out of committee, while the Senate has yet to release any bill text. While the next step is to take the bills to the House floor, action is stalled as House leadership struggles to fulfill the resident Trump’s directive to pass a voter ID bill, the SAVE America Act. The president has also added pressure by refusing to sign bills enacted by Congress until he is presented with the SAVE America Act.  
 
APLU maintains a tracker that reflects the latest action on priority accounts and works particularly closely with the Council on Governmental Affairs on advocacy at each step of the process. 

Senate Outlook 
The Senate Appropriations Committee started its FY27 process later and continues to delay its markups. One challenging dynamic for the majority is the current medical absence of Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the Senate Appropriations Committee has a tight 15-14 margin with all members present.  

Due to the tighter margins, the Senate funding levels and related policy provisions are often reflective of bipartisan compromise, so action in the upper chamber and the unveiling of its bill text are key. The association continues to engage and assist its members in advocacy in furtherance of priorities of public and land-grant universities. 

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.    

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 is in the process of working with the membership to develop the association’s comments on the proposed rule ahead of the July 13 public comment deadline. Once submitted, APLU will share its comment letter with the membership.  

Senate Agriculture Chairman Boozman Releases Farm Bill Discussion Draft 
On June 23, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Senator John Boozman released a discussion draft of the Agricultural Act of 2026, the latest movement towards reauthorizing the Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is a comprehensive package of legislation that Congress typically renews every five years and that governs federal agriculture, nutrition, conservation, and agricultural research programs. The Senate draft is the latest progress of the long-delayed Farm Bill. It follows House passage of the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 in April. 

Much like in the House version, the research title (Title VII) of the Senate version largely reflects APLU’s requests. In a statement, APLU President Waded Cruzado said, “APLU appreciates Chairman Boozman’s ongoing support of the critical role that research, education, and Cooperative Extension play in advancing American agriculture innovation. Public and land-grant universities have been engines of agricultural innovation for generations – helping producers tackle challenges, improve yields, and outcompete global challengers. As the legislative process moves forward, bipartisan compromise and action will be needed to ensure passage of another five-year Farm Bill later this year.” 

APLU will share additional updates and bill analysis.  

Go Deeper: Additional resources on the Senate discussion draft are available:  

• Legislative text
• Title-by-title summary
• Section-by-section
• Overview

U.S. Department of Education Issues Electronic Announcement Interpreting Court Order with Revised Professional Degree Definition 
In a June 29 electronic announcement, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released updated guidance on which graduate and professional degree programs qualify for higher federal student loan borrowing limits. The announcement follows a preliminary injunction by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in litigation challenging ED’s Reimagining and Improving Student Education-Federal Student Loan Program Final Regulations (RISE) student loan regulations. Before court action, the rule would have narrowed the definition of “professional degree” for purposes of federal student loan borrowing limits under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act’s changes to graduate lending. 

The Big Picture: The court temporarily blocked implementation of several provisions of the final rule, including changes to the definition of “professional degrees” used to determine eligibility for the increased federal loan limits. ED’s announcement adds some professional degree programs to the list for the higher loan limits, while noting the degree programs ED is not adding. Per ED, “These interim administrative designations are provided solely to facilitate implementation of the Court’s order and may change as litigation in the case proceeds.” 

APLU Submits Comment Letter on Administration Proposal “Addressing DEI Discrimination by Federal Contractors” 
APLU submitted comments on a proposed rule that would require federal contractors to certify adherence to the administration’s executive orders related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The proposal, issued jointly by the Office of Federal Procurement Policy, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and National Aeronautics and Space Administration, would also require contractors to monitor subcontractors for compliance. 

In its comments, APLU underscores implementation challenges of attesting adherence to Executive Orders that do not have the force of law. Further, the association expresses concern about vagueness of expectations given the administration’s interpretation of statute is legally contested, as well as concern with establishing a precedent in which succeeding administrations would now likely shift terms for contractors based on political priorities and differing interpretations of statute rather than settled law. 

APLU Endorses IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act 
APLU endorsed the bipartisan IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act (H.R. 8791), which was reintroduced in the House by Reps. Alma Adams (D-NC) and French Hill (R-AR). The legislation would authorize federal investments to renovate, repair, modernize, and construct facilities at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), including classrooms, research labs, student housing, broadband infrastructure, and technology. 
 
Ericke S. Cage, President of West Virginia State University and Chair of the APLU Council of 1890 University Presidents, said the bill would provide critical support for HBCUs facing significant infrastructure needs. “Infrastructure spending strengthens each of our institutions. Currently, West Virginia State University has more than $100 million in deferred maintenance,” Cage said. He added that the IGNITE HBCU Excellence Act would help institutions “thrive, elevating the HBCU experience, enhancing student enrollment and making our institutions a top choice for faculty.” 
 
A companion measure was also introduced in the Senate by Chris Coons (D-DE) and Tim Scott (R-SC). 

HUD Issues Guidance on Fair Housing Act as it Relates to Race-based University Housing 
On June 23, The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) issued guidance reminding colleges and universities that student housing must comply with the Fair Housing Act’s prohibition on discrimination based on race, color, and national origin.  

The guidance warns against what it describes as the “rise of institutionalized separatism on the basis of race” on college campuses and states that “the Fair Housing Act unequivocally prohibits segregating dwellings based on race.” HUD further stated that it “will no longer tolerate the unlawful racial discrimination in university housing” and may pursue enforcement actions against institutions found to violate the law, specifying, “No euphemism, woke rationalization, or appeal to ‘safe spaces,’ ‘affinity housing,’ or ‘cultural celebration’ will shield universities from liability where intentional unlawful discrimination is found.” A form to report instances of housing discrimination was also included. 

President Signs Two Executive Orders on Quantum  
During the week of June 25, President Trump signed two Executive Orders, Ushering in the Next Frontier of Quantum Innovation and Securing the Nation Against Advanced Cryptographic Attacks. The first Executive Order establishes a national effort to pursue development of a quantum computer at scale to initiate quantum-enabled scientific discovery, with the intent to deliver at least one such computer to a U.S. Department of Energy facility and, to the extent possible, make it available to the scientific community. The second EO tasks federal agencies with speeding up the transition to post-quantum encryption to defend U.S. networks against emerging threats from quantum computing. The EOs build on the National Quantum Initiative Act and the establishment of national quantum research centers.