GW Weekly Federal Update (June 12)

GW Updates

• GW has signed onto a community letter, circulated by the Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, that calls on congressional appropriators to “reject any cuts to NIH.” The letter, dated June 5, “recommends a funding level of at least $51.3 billion in NIH funding for FY26 to keep pace with scientific opportunity and urgent health needs” and forecasts future engagement around the “proposed restructuring of NIH.” The letter underscores the critical role of NIH in driving medical innovation, improving public health, and fueling economic growth nationwide. The signatories ask Congress to continue its long-standing, bipartisan support for NIH and safeguard the nation’s progress in biomedical research.
   
• An editorial published on June 5 in Science argues that recent federal actions are ceding America’s global leadership in science and technology and opening opportunities for other countries to “take the lead in seeing farther ahead, anticipate where scientific and technological prowess is going, and create the future, while the United States stands on the sidelines.” The editorial was authored by H. Holden Thorp, editor-in-chief of Science journals and GW professor of chemistry.
   
• For awareness: The District will host events in honor of the U.S. Army’s 250th birthday on Saturday, June 14. The university is monitoring activities associated with the events and remains in close coordination with local and federal partners. Due to extensive road closures that could limit access to the Foggy Bottom campus on Friday, June 13, the university has issued guidance for the campus community. Check Campus Advisories for the latest updates.

Recent Federal Actions

• In the April 3 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that several associations (including the American Public Health Association) and individual researchers filed a complaint against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, challenging NIH’s termination of over $2.4 billion in grants and asking the court to prevent NIH “from terminating any grants based on allegedly no longer effectuating agency priorities, or withholding review of applications.” On May 30, the Court allowed the lawsuit to proceed on the plaintiffs’ allegations that NIH violated the Administrative Procedure Act.
   
• In the May 30 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported on new State Department visa policies that would “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with connections to the Chinese Communist Party or studying in critical fields” and “revise visa criteria to enhance scrutiny of all future visa applications from the People’s Republic of China and Hong Kong.” On June 11, President Trump announced that the U.S. and China had agreed in principle to resolve a number of contentious issues between the two countries. According to media reports, as part of the resolution the U.S. would roll back proposed visa restrictions on Chinese students. However, no deal has been finalized.
   
• The latest on federal actions related to Harvard University: In the June 5 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that on June 4, President Trump issued a proclamation temporarily preventing international students from entering the country in order to attend Harvard and directing the State Department to consider revoking the visas of current Harvard students, citing national security concerns. Later on June 5, the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts issued a temporary restraining order blocking enforcement of the proclamation. In her decision, Judge Burroughs cited the likelihood of “immediate and irreparable injury” to Harvard and its international community.
  
  We also reported that on June 2, Harvard filed a motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit challenging the Administration freeze of $2.5 billion in federal grants and contracts. On June 9, the Association of American Universities (AAU), of which GW is a member, and 27 other higher education organizations, filed an amicus brief in support of Harvard’s motion for summary judgment.
  
  On June 10, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce sent a letter to Harvard University requesting documents and information related to the university’s hiring and employment practices, citing potential violations of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Committee pointed to internal Harvard materials—including faculty hiring guidelines and diversity-related interview questions—that the Committee suggests encourage consideration of race, gender, and ethnicity in recruitment. The inquiry also references an EEOC commissioner’s charge filed in April alleging that several of Harvard’s programs, including targeted internships and fellowships, may unlawfully discriminate based on race. Harvard has been asked to respond by June 25.
   
• In a renewed assertion of congressional authority over the District of Columbia, the U.S. House of Representatives advanced two separate bills that would override D.C. laws related to immigration, voting rights and police oversight. On June 10, the House advanced H.R. 884 which would prohibit noncitizens from voting in any D.C. municipal election, and H.R. 2096, which would restore the ability of Metropolitan Police Department employees to negotiate disciplinary policies through collective bargaining. The measures have sparked concern among D.C. leaders and advocates of home rule and now head to the U.S. Senate. Also, the House is also expected to vote on a third bill, H.R. 2056, which would eliminate D.C.’s sanctuary city status.
   
• This week, the U.S. House passed two resolutions condemning rising antisemitic violence. The first, which has garnered broad bipartisan support, was introduced by Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R–NJ) and cites several recent incidents, including the June 1 attack on pro-Israel demonstrators in Boulder, Colorado; the May 21 shooting deaths of two Israeli Embassy staffers; and the April 13 firebombing of the Pennsylvania governor’s residence during a Passover seder. The second, introduced by Rep. Gabe Evans (R–CO), focuses solely on the Boulder incident and highlights the immigration status of the suspect. Democrats have criticized Republican leaders for advancing Evans’ resolution over a bipartisan alternative offered by Rep. Joe Neguse (D–CO), who represents the impacted district, noting that standard practice has been to defer to the local member in such cases.
   
• On June 5, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a confirmation hearing for Kimberly Richey, the nominee to serve as Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education. Richey previously served in the department during the George W. Bush Administration and as Acting Assistant Secretary under President Trump from August 2020 to November 2021. During the hearing, Richey stated that the department should consider amending Title VI regulations and issuing new guidance to address the rise in antisemitic incidents on college campuses since the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. She noted that current federal policy treats antisemitic harassment as prohibited under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, interpreting it as discrimination based on shared ancestry. When asked how she would address the department’s reported backlog of nearly 25,000 open civil rights complaints, Richey emphasized her support for increased resources for the Office for Civil Rights. A committee vote on her nomination has not yet been scheduled.
   
• In the May 30 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that on May 22, the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts granted a motion for a preliminary injunction filed by a group of states, school districts, non-profit organizations and labor unions prohibiting the Administration from carrying out massive reductions in force (RIF) in the U.S. Department of Education and reinstating affected ED employees. On June 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals declined to lift the injunction. On June 6, the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court in an emergency appeal to reverse those lower court rulings and allow the Administration to move forward with its plan to lay off Department of Education employees while the underlying claims are being litigated.
   
• In the May 15 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that on April 29, the Attorneys General of 24 states and the District of Columbia filed suit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland challenging the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, by, e.g., “releasing members and volunteers, placing most agency staff on administrative leave in anticipation of terminations, and cancelling contracts and grants.” On June 5, the Court issued a preliminary injunction requiring the Administration to restore terminated AmeriCorps programs and grants in the plaintiff states and allowing the volunteers (but not former employees) who had been serving in those programs to return.
   
• In the May 30 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported the State Department required that it approve all recipients of Fulbright scholarship awards to determine whether any projects violated Executive Orders prohibiting diversity, equity and inclusion. On June 11, all of the members of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board that oversees the Fulbright program, resigned, stating that they did so “rather than endorse unprecedented actions that we believe are impermissible under the law, compromise U.S. national interests and integrity, and undermine the mission and mandates Congress established for the Fulbright program nearly 80 years ago.”
   
• Federal budget updates: Last week, Senate committees began releasing their portions of the reconciliation bill (H.R. 1), including the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; Armed Services; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committees. The Senate HELP Committee’s portion, released June 10, proposes significant reforms to federal student aid and loan repayment, including eliminating the Graduate PLUS loan program, capping graduate and parent loan amounts, consolidating repayment plans into a fixed standard and a new income-driven option with forgiveness after 30 years, and removing eligibility for Public Service Loan Forgiveness for new borrowers starting July 1, 2025. The bill expands Pell Grant access for short-term workforce programs and introduces a new accountability standard tied to post-graduation earnings.
  
  As both chambers work to reconcile their proposals, the final legislation could significantly reshape how students access and repay federal financial aid. Although the Senate and House bills take similar approaches in areas like repealing Biden-era discharge regulations and simplifying repayment options, the Senate version retains subsidized undergraduate loans, omits risk-sharing requirements for institutions, and avoids stricter Pell eligibility rules included in the House proposal. It also preserves existing gainful employment and 90/10 rules, diverging from the House’s plan to eliminate them, and excludes provisions benefiting medical and dental residents.

Resources and Reminders

About this Newsletter

To ensure that students, faculty and staff feel supported and informed about how federal developments affect higher education and GW, the university launched a weekly Federal Update. This newsletter shares timely information, addresses questions and provides resources.