Key Updates
- On March 20, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to shut down the Education Department “to the maximum extent appropriate and permitted by law.” Although Congress must approve fully closing the department, administration officials said in news reports that the aim is to reduce the agency’s size while continuing core functions such as enforcement of civil rights laws, issuance of student loans, and disbursement of Pell Grants, among others.
The administration already has laid off thousands of department employees. In response, on March 13, 21 state attorneys general filed a lawsuit challenging efforts to dismantle the department through the reduction in force (RIF) announced on March 11. The lawsuit alleges that the RIF will stop the department from carrying out its legally required obligations.
- On March 19, the White House announced it will pause $175 million in federal funding to the University of Pennsylvania over its approach to transgender athletes.
- On March 19, the Department of Justice and Equal Employment Opportunity Commission issued a one-page fact sheet and a longer FAQ document “focused on educating the public about unlawful discrimination related to diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace.” The fact sheet explains that DEI programs may be unlawful if an employment action is taken “motivated—in whole or in part—by an employee’s race, sex, or another protected characteristic.” The fact sheet also states, for example, that “limiting membership in workplace groups, such as Employee Resource Groups or other employee affinity groups, to certain protected groups” is prohibited.
- On March 17, the EEOC Acting Chair sent letters to 20 law firms requesting information about their DEI related employment practices, based on the EEOC’s review of various publicly available information, including on the firms’ websites, relating to firm DEI programs and initiatives. The EEOC expressed concern that the firm’s initiatives “may entail unlawful disparate treatment in terms, conditions, and privileges of employment, or unlawful limiting, segregating, and classifying based on race, sex, or other protected characteristics, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).”
- On March 17, a Georgetown University postdoctoral associate was detained in Rosslyn, Virginia, and is "awaiting his court date in immigration court" in Louisiana. The postdoctoral fellow, an Indian citizen who is in the U.S. on a J-1 student visa, was alleged to be “spreading Hamas propaganda and promoting antisemitism on social media," according to a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson cited in news reports. On March 20, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia issued an order prohibiting the government from removing the postdoctoral associate “from the U.S. unless and until the Court issues a contrary order.”
- On March 14, the Senate passed the Continuing Resolution (CR) that would fund government operations through the remainder of this fiscal year. The bill did not include a routine provision allowing the District of Columbia’s budget to continue operating at current budget levels, requiring D.C. to revert to fiscal 2024 levels and cutting $1.1 billion in local government spending over the next six months. Following days of lobbying from District officials and locals, Sen. Susan Collins and Sen. Chris Van Hollen introduced legislation late last Friday that would allow the District to keep its budget intact. The Senate passed the bill by voice vote. Sen. Collins has said the legislation is supported by President Trump and House Appropriations Chairman Tom Cole, but some House Republicans are pushing for Speaker Mike Johnson to ignore the budget fix. The bill still has to pass through the House of Representatives, which is on recess until March 24.
The CR also underfunds the National Institutes of Health fiscal 2024 funding levels by $280 million through a targeted reduction in 21st Century Cures funding. However, thanks to higher education advocacy efforts, the bill does extend language preventing the Administration from imposing a 15 percent cap on Facilities and Administrative (F&A) cost reimbursement at NIH.
- On March 14, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit granted the government’s motion to stay a Maryland District Court’s nationwide preliminary injunction of two anti-DEI Executive Orders—which direct federal agencies to terminate grant funding for DEI programs, and require contractors and grantees to certify that they did not operate DEI programs that violate federal law—pending a decision on the merits of the government’s appeal of that injunction. As a result, the injunction preventing agencies from taking actions pursuant to those EOs has been lifted. A hearing on the merits will be held on an expedited basis.
- On March 14, the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts issued a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) requiring Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) to provide a 48-hour notice before deporting a Lebanese doctor (and Brown University faculty member) present in the U.S. with an H-1B visa after CBP detained her at Boston Logan Airport without explanation. CBP then deported the doctor, despite actual notice of the court order. The court issued a second order on March 16 requiring the government submit its reasons for its deportation decision despite the TRO. It was later disclosed that the faculty member had attended a Hezbollah leader’s funeral while in Lebanon.
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More Information
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About this Newsletter
To ensure that you feel informed, supported, and equipped to understand how federal developments may affect higher education and GW specifically, the university launched a weekly Federal Update series. These updates aim to provide clear, timely information on key policy changes and their implications for GW while also addressing questions and providing relevant resources.
GW remains committed to our mission and values—advancing education, research, and scholarship in a way that fosters inclusion, excellence, and the free exchange of ideas. The university also will comply with the law while doing everything in our power to keep our community safe.