GW Weekly Federal Update (March 28)

GW Updates and Actions

• On March 27, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee held the hearing “Antisemitic Disruptions on Campus: Ensuring Safe Learning Environments for All Students.” The hearing focused on foreign influence on campuses and the importance of protecting Jewish students. Rabbi Levi Shemtov, who leads Chabad GW, was a witness at the hearing alongside others involved in Jewish life and studying and combatting antisemitism. Witnesses and elected officials discussed incidents on university campuses, First Amendment considerations, defining antisemitism, rescinding federal funding, and actions against foreign students, among other issues. In his remarks, Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) announced that he is launching an investigation into American Muslims for Palestine and its connection to Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP).

  This week, GW received a letter from Sen. Cassidy requesting information about GW's SJP. The university will review the letter and respond. 
   

• On March 21, the university distributed guidance to faculty related to headwinds universities are facing due to uncertainty about the state of federal research priorities and funding. Among the updates, university leadership noted that many externally-funded activities continue apace. However, if a grant or contract is delayed, terminated or receives a stop work order, GW cannot support expenses that were previously funded by external sources. Further, reductions in external funding could also impact internally-funded research and scholarly activities. Detailed information and additional resources are available to support faculty. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research and the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations stand ready to assist faculty to identify new opportunities and funders and to develop fundable proposals.

Key Federal Updates

• On March 27, the White House Rapid Response Twitter account posted text of an Executive Order the President signed regarding creating a "D.C. Safe and Beautiful Task Force" that will be instructed to work with local officials on crime and beautification issues in the District. It is another escalation of federal involvement in the District. The Task Force will be charged in part with "directing maximum enforcement of federal immigration law and redirecting available federal, state or local law enforcement resources to apprehend and deport illegal aliens in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area;" "providing MPD with assistance to facilitate the recruitment, retention and capabilities of its police officers and to facilitate work with federal personnel, resources and expertise to reduce crime"; and "collaborating with appropriate local government entities to provide assistance to end fare evasion and other crime within the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority system." The order also requires removal and cleanup of encampments and graffiti on federal land within D.C. subject to the National Park Service's jurisdiction.
   
• On March 27, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1048, the DETERRENT Act. The bill increases and broadens disclosure requirements related to contracts and gifts related to foreign sources, among other provisions related to research security and foreign malign influence. Prior to the bill's passage, the Association of American Universities sent a letter to leadership in the House outlining several concerns with the legislation. The American Council on Education also sent a letter opposing several aspects of the bill.
   
• On March 27, President Trump issued an executive order that among other things directs Vice President Vance, a member of the Smithsonian Board of Regents, to eliminate “divisive narratives” and “anti-American ideology” from the Smithsonian Institution’s museums, and to withhold funding for exhibits that “degrade shared American values” and “divide Americans based on race.”
   
• On March 25, government agents arrested and detained a Tufts University student from Turkey at Tufts on an F-1 visa. According to news reports, the government alleges that the student “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans.” A judge with the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts has demanded that the government respond on March 27 to the student’s lawyer’s motion that the government produce the student, who is being held in Louisiana. Tufts University provided an update to its community via a message from its leadership. Separately, on March 26 federal immigration authorities detained a University of Alabama doctoral student, according to news reports. Few details were immediately available regarding the reason for detaining the individual. 
   
• On March 25, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York directed the Administration to stop until further notice the Administration’s efforts to arrest and deport a Columbia University student, a U.S. permanent resident, who the Administration accuses of participating in pro-Palestinian demonstrations and spreading antisemitism.
   
• On March 25, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform passed H.R. 2056, The District of Columbia Federal Immigration Compliance Act, on a party-line vote. The legislation, which will still need to be considered by the full House of Representatives and the Senate, is an example of increasing Congressional interest in managing District of Columbia affairs. The bill would disallow any District "statute, ordinance, policy or practice" that limits local law enforcement collaboration with federal immigration enforcement with some limited exceptions. The bill does not name but would apply to the District's Sanctuary Values Amendment Act.
   

• On March 25, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced a webpage that outlines updates on new initiatives and policies. NIH applicants and grantees should consult this page for the status of changes impacting the grants process. Investigators should continue to work with their assigned Research Support Team and the Office of Sponsored Projects if they have questions.

  Separately, the Senate voted this week along party lines to confirm Jayanta Bhattacharya as Director of the NIH.
   

• On March 24, the U.S. Department of Labor announced the appointment of Catherine Eschbach to lead the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). In a press release, Eschbach stated: “President Trump made clear in his executive order on eliminating DEI that EO 11246 had facilitated federal contractors adopting DEI practices out of step with the requirements of our Nation’s civil rights laws and that, with the recission of EO 11246, the President mandates federal contractors wind those practices down within 90 days. As director, I’m committed to carrying out President Trump’s executive orders, which will restore a merit-based system to provide all workers with equal opportunity.”  The Wall Street Journal subsequently reported that OFCCP intends to review affirmative action plans submitted by federal contractors before President Trump took office to “look for evidence of unlawful practices in the plans.”
   
• On March 24, Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia issued an opinion and order denying the Administration’s motion to vacate the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) blocking their ability to deport Venezuelan migrants under the Alien Enemies Act.  On March 26,, the U.S. Court of Appeals Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, upheld Judge Boasberg’s decision to issue a TRO.

• On March 21, Columbia University issued an unsigned letter summarizing steps the university would take to address the Administration’s demands following the Administration’s termination of $400 million in federal funding. The New York Times reported that it is not clear whether those actions were sufficient to restore the federal funding. In response to Columbia’s actions, the Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism issued a statement that included the quote: “Other universities that are being investigated by the Task Force should expect the same level of scrutiny and swiftness of action if they don’t act to protect their students and stop anti-Semitic behavior on campus.”

  Separately, on March 25, the AAUP and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) filed a lawsuit on behalf of their members in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the Trump Administration, alleging that the Administration’s cutting of federal funding to Columbia University was unlawful. 
   

• On March 21, President Trump issued a memorandum titled “Preventing Abuses of the Legal System and the Federal Court” as well as a Fact Sheet instructing the Attorney General to, among other things, “seek sanctions against attorneys and law firms that engage in frivolous, unreasonable or vexatious litigation against the United States.” It directs the Attorney General to “review attorney and law firm conduct over the last eight years in litigation against the federal government and recommend further actions if misconduct is identified.”
   
• On March 19, the U.S. House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party sent a letter to University of Maryland President Darryll J. Pines that requested information related to Chinese national students and research, citing “national security risks.”

Immigration Enforcement and International Student Resources

University Mission and Community Commitment

Reminders for Researchers

If you are a researcher and receive any communication from the federal government or their representative about your award, promptly forward those messages to the Office of Sponsored Projects at [email protected]. Investigators should continue to apply for federal funding, adhere to all announced deadlines and utilize GW’s federally-negotiated indirect cost rate.

In addition, if you receive a questionnaire, survey or request for data from a federal entity, please immediately contact [email protected]. Many of these surveys ask questions about institution-wide practices and require review and approval from GW’s Authorized Organization Representative.

More Information

For more information about federal updates, visit GW Federal Updates and Federal Research Updates 2025.

Questions

If you have a question related to federal changes and their impact at GW, please reply to this email or contact GW Government and Community Relations at ogcr@gwu.edu. 

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.