GW Weekly Federal Update (August 7)

GW Update

• On August 4, Nicholas Kent was sworn in as the 15th Under Secretary of Education following his confirmation by the U.S. Senate. Kent is a GW alum, having earned a master’s degree in higher education administration from the Graduate School of Education and Human Development (GSEHD). As Under Secretary, he will oversee policies related to postsecondary education, vocational education, and federal student aid. In a letter to Department staff, Kent described having been a first-generation college student and Pell Grant recipient and outlined his task to “restore the greatness of American higher education and ensure that our taxpayer-supported colleges, universities, vocational schools, and other postsecondary programs are genuinely helping young Americans launch and grow their careers.” Kent previously served as the Deputy Secretary of Education for the Commonwealth of Virginia and as the Chief Policy Officer at Career Education Colleges and Universities (CECU), a trade association representing for-profit colleges.

Recent Federal Actions

• On August 1, 16 states and the District of Columbia filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts seeking to invalidate President Trump’s January 28 Executive Order 14187, “Protecting Children from Chemical and Surgical Mutilation” (EO). The EO and subsequently issued guidance restricts access to gender-affirming care for minors and directed the Justice Department to pursue enforcement actions against medical providers related to this care. The new lawsuit alleges that the EO violates states’ rights under the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution and exceeds statutory authority under the Administrative Procedures Act. Three other lawsuits challenging the EO are pending.
   
• The latest on federal actions related to George Mason University: On August 1, George Mason University’s Board of Visitors unanimously approved a resolution to eliminate certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs and to provide a raise for President Gregory Washington, in line with a state-mandated increase for professional faculty. As reported in prior editions of the GW Weekly Federal Update, the Board's actions followed multiple federal investigations into the university's handling of race in admissions and hiring practices, as well as its response to reports of antisemitism on campus. 
   
• The latest on federal actions related to UCLA: In the August 1 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that the Justice Department issued UCLA a “Notice of Violation” finding that it had acted with deliberate indifference toward Jewish and Israeli students by failing to “adequately respond to complaints of severe, pervasive, and objectively offensive harassment and abuse that Jewish and Israeli students faced on its campus from October 7, 2023, to the present.” Since issuing that notice, a number of federal agencies have suspended grant funding to UCLA. According to media reports, $339 million in research grants have been suspended, while UCLA determines its response to the notice of violation. 
   
• The latest on federal actions related to Harvard University: In the August 1 edition of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we reported that according to media reports, Harvard University has “signaled a willingness to meet the Trump Administration’s demand to spend as much as $500 million to end its dispute with the White House as talks between the two sides intensify.” A group of House and Senate Democrats subsequently sent Harvard a letter warning that “any such agreement may warrant rigorous Congressional oversight and inquiry,” opining that “any acquiescence to unjustified political threats would not only diminish Harvard’s standing but also make it complicit in the erosion of fundamental democratic principles.” On July 30, the Department of Health and Human Services sent a letter to Harvard President Alan Garber, stating that the Department was referring Harvard to the Department of Justice “to initiate appropriate proceedings to address Harvard’s antisemitic discrimination” after failing to “voluntarily comply with its obligations under Title VI.” According to media reports, Harvard’s president told several faculty “that the suggestion that Harvard was open to paying $500 million is ‘false’ and claimed that the figure was apparently leaked to the press by White House officials.”
   
• Wagner College, a small, private liberal arts college on Staten Island, has reached an agreement with the Department of Education to comply with federal policies restricting transgender student athletes from participating in women’s sports, following a civil rights investigation by the Office for Civil Rights. The investigation stemmed from a March fencing tournament incident in which a participant protested the inclusion of a transgender athlete from Wagner, drawing national attention. As part of the resolution, Wagner will revise its athletic policies to align with federal definitions based on biological sex, as outlined in a recent presidential executive order, and will issue a public statement affirming its commitment to Title IX as interpreted by the Trump Administration.
   
• On August 1, the Senate passed its first spending package of the fiscal year, approving three appropriations bills. Two of the bills, covering military construction and veterans affairs as well as the Department of Agriculture and the FDA, were passed together in an 87 to 9 vote. A third bill, which funds the legislative branch, was approved by a vote of 81 to 15. All three measures will now be grouped into a minibus for streamlined consideration by the House. The package provides nearly $154 billion for military and veterans programs and more than $27 billion for agriculture and food safety, with both receiving modest increases over current funding levels.
  
  In a separate action, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a health and education spending bill that rejects several of the Trump Administration's proposed cuts. The legislation maintains the maximum Pell Grant at $7,395, and preserves funding for campus childcare subsidies and programs that support disadvantaged students in accessing and succeeding in higher education (TRIO). Additionally, the bill increases the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget to $48.7 billion, significantly higher than the Administration’s request of $27.9 billion. Notably, the bill blocks the Administration’s proposed cap on indirect cost rates for NIH research grants and opposes proposed staffing reductions at the Department of Education. While the measure reflects bipartisan compromise, some Senate Democrats expressed concern about potential unilateral actions by the Administration to delay or rescind funding. Attempts to include provisions that would reinstate frozen grants or require additional oversight of the Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights did not pass. 
   
• On August 2, the U.S. Senate confirmed former television host and New York prosecutor and judge Jeanine Pirro as the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia has a unique jurisdiction, handling both cases arising under federal law such as immigration, as well as local cases arising under D.C. law, including illegal possession of guns.
   
• At a press conference on August 6, President Trump said he is considering taking control of D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and deploying the National Guard to address crime in the District. The remarks follow reports of an incident in which a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer was injured in an attempted carjacking. Trump also said his lawyers were “studying” the possibility of overturning the Home Rule Act, a 1973 law granting D.C. residents self governance by electing a mayor and city council members. While the President has the power to federalize MPD during emergencies, a repeal of the Home Rule Act would require Congressional approval.
   
• According to media reports, approximately 154,000 federal employees accepted voluntary buyouts offered by the Trump Administration. This number does not include federal employees who were fired or opted into other federal programs such as an incentive program to retire early.
   
• In previous editions of the GW Weekly Federal Update, we have reported on the U.S. State Department’s expanded vetting of visa applicants and revocation of visas for activities the Trump Administration deems “threats to U.S. national security.” On August 6, the Stanford University student newspaper and two unnamed students filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of California challenging the Trump Administration’s authority to deport noncitizen students on the basis of their speech.
   
• Stanford University will eliminate more than 360 jobs, according to media reports. In a July 31 letter to the campus community, Stanford’s president and provost attribute budgetary actions to a “challenging fiscal environment shaped in large part by federal policy changes affecting higher education.”

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.