GW Weekly Federal Update (October 10)

International Community and D.C. Federalization Resources

• As a reminder, the International Services Office (ISO) provides updates on immigration policies, programming, and resources that support GW’s international community. Members of the GW community can stay informed through the following communication channels:
  • Campus partners may subscribe to the ISO Campus Partner Listserv to receive important announcements and guidance relevant to their work with international students and scholars.
  • The ISO Global Insider Newsletter, distributed to our international community, features immigration reminders, event updates, resources, and community highlights. Students and campus partners may also subscribe to receive these updates.
• Visit GW’s D.C. Federalization resource page for the latest information and answers to frequently asked questions.

Recent Federal Actions

Visas

• In the September 26 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that the White House released a Presidential Proclamation, effective September 21, announcing restrictions on the entry of new H-1B workers into the U.S., unless their petitions are accompanied by a $100,000 supplemental payment to the U.S. government. On October 3, a number of labor unions and organizations, including the AAUP, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in California, alleging among other things that the Proclamation exceeded the President’s statutory authority and violated the Administrative Procedure Act. The plaintiffs allege that the restrictions under the Proclamation “will result in significant and potentially catastrophic setbacks to research that benefits the American public and ensures the United States remains a leading source of innovation and expertise. For example, the fee will likely result in sharp cutbacks in the employment of highly talented foreign workers and severe setbacks for university research, graduate programs, and clinical care, compounding an anticipated shortfall of 5.3 million skilled workers over the next decade.”

Government Shutdown

• The federal government remains shut down, with negotiations between Congress and the White House stalled over how to fund the government. Democrats are insisting that any stopgap spending bill include an extension of healthcare subsidies, while Republicans are pushing for a “clean” continuing resolution without additional provisions. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) continues to hold votes in an effort to pressure Democrats, while the House remains in recess under Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who has said the chamber will not reconvene until the Senate acts. Although the Trump administration has threatened large-scale federal layoffs, these have not yet occurred. The ongoing shutdown continues to disrupt government services and poses significant risks to sectors such as higher education and scientific research.
  
  University leadership, the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR), and other campus partners are actively monitoring the federal government shutdown and its potential impact on GW’s research enterprise. While most sponsored projects will remain unaffected in the short-term, disruptions may occur if the work relies on access to federal facilities or requires guidance from agency staff. To support the research community during the shutdown, OVPR distributed additional guidance for investigators with active federal awards.

Department of Education

• The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has resumed student loan forgiveness for certain borrowers enrolled in income-based repayment (IBR) plans, after pausing the process in July due to legal challenges. Borrowers who have made 25 years of on-time payments recently received notices that their remaining balances will be automatically canceled unless they opt out by October 21, with most discharges expected to occur within two weeks after that date. The department’s progress could be slowed by the ongoing government shutdown, which has furloughed nearly 90 percent of ED staff.
   
• The Trump administration is exploring the possibility of selling portions of the federal government’s $1.6 trillion student loan portfolio to the private sector as part of a broader effort to reduce federal involvement in student lending. Discussions among senior Education and Treasury Department officials have focused on transferring high-performing loans and potentially hiring outside firms to assess their market value, but key questions remain about how borrower protections would be affected and whether the government would continue to guarantee any of the loans.

Federal Grantmaking and Research

• In the October 3 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that the Trump Administration invited nine universities to join the “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education,” which promised signatories that they would receive a competitive advantage in the award of federal grants and contracts. The “Compact” is now available.  The Compact would require signatory universities to, among other things, agree to freeze tuition for five years, cap the enrollment of international students, commit to strict definitions of gender, develop a policy on institutional neutrality “except in cases in which external events have a direct impact upon the university,” and revise or eliminate academic departments “that purposely punish, belittle and even spark violence against conservative ideas.” The Compact does not specify what “competitive advantage” signatories would receive, but according to media reports, signatories would receive “multiple positive benefits” such as “priority access to federal funds and looser restraints on overhead costs.” That said, the Compact warns that universities are “free to develop models and values other than [those contained in the Compact], if the institution elects to forgo federal benefits.”

Resources and Reminders

About this Newsletter

GW publishes this weekly Federal Update to inform students, faculty and staff about how developments in the federal government affect higher education generally and the University. This newsletter includes timely information, answers to questions from GW community members, and resources for support.