GW Weekly Federal Update (September 5)

GW Update

GW Alum Appointed Acting Administrator of USAID

• August 29: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the role of acting administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will be held by Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director and GW alumnus Russell Vought. President Trump had named Rubio to the position earlier this year as part of an effort to wind down the agency, which has since eliminated or transferred most of its programs to the State Department. Vought also serves as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Recent Federal Actions

Federal Grantmaking and Research

• August 28: President Trump issued a memorandum directing the attorney general to investigate whether federal grant funds are being used to “illegally support lobbying activities” or “as slush funds for political and legislative advocacy,” and to take appropriate enforcement action. The accompanying fact sheet refers to taxpayer funds being spent on grants with “highly political overtones,” citing as examples a National Institutes of Health grant that “adapted an LGBTQ+ teen pregnancy prevention program for ‘transgender boys,’” and a National Science Foundation grant on “advancing racial justice in elementary mathematics.” Researchers should review the institutional policy on political activity and federal guidance for grant recipients.
   
• According to media reports, as part of a settlement of a lawsuit, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) has agreed to restore certain webpages and datasets that had been removed by HHS to comply with several executive orders relating to diversity, equity and inclusion, and gender identity. Under the settlement, HHS will restore the content in question as they existed as of January 29, 2025.
   
• August 20: The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) announced an agency-wide reorganization following a June reduction in force that cut staffing levels by two-thirds. Seven NEH grantmaking offices have been consolidated into four new divisions. The announcement describes the purview of a Division of Federal/State Partnership, a Division of Collections and Infrastructure, a Division of Lifelong Learning and a Division of Research. NEH also announced a special projects office focused on the U.S. Semiquincentennial.

Visas and International Students

• August 28: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that would end the long-standing practice of admitting F, J, and I visa holders for the full duration of their academic or exchange programs. Instead, visa holders would be granted a fixed admission period of up to four years or the length of their program, whichever is shorter. The proposed rule would require visa holders seeking more time, including for Optional Practical Training, to apply for extensions through USCIS. It would also add restrictions on transfers or changes in academic objectives and prohibit students from pursuing another degree at the same or lower level after completing a program. DHS argues the change is necessary to prevent “forever” students, while higher education advocates warn it will create burdens, uncertainty, and deterrents for international students. Comments are due by September 29.

Federal Actions Related to Other Universities

• Harvard University: On September 3, the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts ruled that the Trump Administration impermissibly froze billions of dollars in research funds at Harvard University in response to the Administration’s claim that Harvard was deliberately indifferent to acts of antisemitism on campus. In ruling in favor of Harvard, the court emphasized that “it is the job of the courts to. . . to act to safeguard academic freedom and freedom of speech as required by the Constitution, and to ensure that important research is not improperly subjected to arbitrary and procedurally infirm grant terminations, even if doing so risks the wrath of a government committed to its agenda no matter the cost.”

The National Capital Region and Other States

• September 2: D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser issued Executive Order 2025-090, creating an emergency operations center to oversee the District’s response to the federal “Safe and Beautiful Task Force” and President Trump’s declaration of a crime emergency. The operations center is tasked with coordinating centralized communications, handling service requests, tracking crime data, and managing joint operations with federal law enforcement. Additionally, the order directs District officials to work with federal partners “to the maximum extent allowable by law,” including agencies such as the U.S. Marshals Service, FBI, Park Police, DEA, ATF, Capitol Police, and Secret Service. At a press conference last week, the Mayor underscored that the city is focused on violent crime prevention and providing resources for unhoused residents. D.C. Chief of Police Pamela Smith clarified that National Guard members stationed at Metro stops, including those seen around Foggy Bottom, are not under her authority and that any questions or concerns should be directed to the Metro Transit Police Department. In Congress, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton introduced H.R. 5051, a bill that would require armed forces deployed in the District, including the National Guard, to participate in a body-worn camera program similar to that of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
   
• September 4: D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration over the deployment of the National Guard in the District. The suit alleges “that the military should not be involved in domestic law enforcement" and that the government’s “unprecedented, unlawful actions” have caused “irreparable harm” by infringing on the city’s right to self-governance, fueling distrust toward local law enforcement, and depressing business and tourism. The suit follows a ruling from a federal judge in California this week who found that the Trump Administration violated the Posse Comitatus Act, which bars the use of soldiers for civilian law enforcement activities, in its deployment of the National Guard in that state.
   
• August 29: The Arlington and Fairfax County school districts filed lawsuits in the U.S. District Court in Virginia seeking to prevent the Department of Education (ED) from freezing millions of dollars in federal funding. In the August 21 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that ED would begin the process of suspending or terminating federal funding to five Northern Virginia school districts, in response to the districts’ decision to not change their policies that allow transgender students to use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identity. 
   
• September 2: The Justice Department filed a complaint against the State of Illinois for offering in-state tuition and scholarships to undocumented students. The Administration has targeted similar policies in Texas, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Oklahoma. In response, Texas rescinded its college tuition policy and a Federal judge ruled that Oklahoma’s policy was unconstitutional. According to the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, approximately 510,000 undocumented students are currently enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities, representing about 2.4 percent of all higher education students, underscoring the significant reach of these policies nationwide.

Congressional Budget Process

• September 2: Congress returned to session with just weeks left to avoid a government shutdown on September 30. Lawmakers are discussing a short-term continuing resolution while advancing individual spending bills.
   
  • The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies voted 11–7, along party lines, to advance its FY26 bill. The measure would provide $46.9 billion for the National Institutes of Health (an increase of less than 1% over FY25) while rejecting the administration’s proposed restructuring and maintaining funding for each of NIH’s 27 institutes and centers. The bill also caps indirect cost rates at 30% for institutions subject to the endowment tax, restricts gain-of-function and fetal tissue research, and reduces funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) by 37%.
    
    For education, the bill proposes a 15% overall reduction for the Department of Education, including the elimination of Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (SEOG) and Title VI international education programs such as Fulbright-Hays, Language Resource Centers, and National Research Centers. The bill also makes deep cuts to Federal Work-Study, reduces the Institute of Education Sciences by 7% ($740 million), and eliminates funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Additional reductions are included for HRSA and the CDC, including gun violence prevention research. The full committee is scheduled to consider the measure on September 9, with the House also beginning floor action on the Energy-Water bill this week. These provisions represent only the subcommittee’s proposal, the full appropriations process is still underway, and final funding levels will be determined later in negotiations with the Senate and the Administration.

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.