- Washington Update
- Congress Begins Work on Higher Education Act Reauthorization
- AAU, APLU Call on Congress and Administration to Raise Discretionary Spending Caps
- CNSR Encourages Lawmakers to Raise Discretionary Budget Caps
- AAU Announces STEM Mini-grant Cohort II Recipients
- Droegemeier Makes First Speech as OSTP Director
WASHINGTON UPDATE
The president last week declared a national state of emergency for America’s southern border and immediately redirected $8 billion to erect or repair as much as 234 miles of border barriers. House Democrats today filed a resolution seeking to block the emergency declaration. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has promised that the bill will reach the floor in 18 calendar days. Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) has said that companion legislation will soon be introduced in the Senate, though the president has promised to veto the measure should it pass both chambers. This legislation comes after a coalition of 16 states filed suit to block the president’s effort to fund a border wall by declaring a national emergency, joining several other legal challenges.
CONGRESS BEGINS WORK ON HIGHER EDUCATION ACT REAUTHORIZATION
House education committee leaders Thursday announced a series of as-yet unscheduled, bipartisan hearings to mark the formal start of an effort to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA). The hearings will focus on the cost of college, accountability, improving student outcomes, the role of community colleges, historically black colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions, and “high-quality” degree pathways. The Senate education committee has started negotiations on Chair Lamar Alexander’s (R-TN) vision for HEA reauthorization.
AAU, APLU CALL ON CONGRESS AND ADMINISTRATION TO RAISE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING CAPS
AAU and APLU today submitted a letter calling on congressional leaders and the administration to negotiate a new bipartisan budget agreement that raises discretionary spending caps for FY20 and FY21. Congress in FY18 and FY19 reversed the Budget and Control Act’s (BCA) damaging sequestration cuts, but new cuts are slated for FY20 and FY21 without a deal from congress and the administration. Such cuts would harm scientific research, higher education, and America’s position as a leader in global innovation. “Raising the caps,” the letter says, “will provide relief from harmful cuts to critical federal investments in scientific research, student aid, and other higher education programs that contribute to our nation’s economic and national security.”
CNSR ENCOURAGES LAWMAKERS TO RAISE DISCRETIONARY SPENDING BUDGET CAPS
The Coalition for National Security Research (CNSR), of which AAU is a member, last week wrote to administration and congressional leaders to urge them to reach a bipartisan budget agreement to raise the discretionary budget caps for FY20 and FY21. The letter notes that budget caps could limit America’s ability to invest in cutting edge technologies that enable future weapons and equipment capabilities that give the U.S. military a competitive advantage over foreign adversaries and the resources needed to deter and succeed in conflicts.
AAU ANNOUNCES STEM MINI-GRANT COHORT II RECIPIENTS
AAU Wednesday announced that it selected 12 AAU-member campuses active in the AAU Undergraduate STEM Education Network to receive small grants to further existing efforts to improve undergraduate STEM education. The "mini-grants" will fund specific departmental or college-wide improvements, such as training graduate and undergraduate teaching assistants in active learning practices.
The grants will go to Brandeis University; Case Western Reserve University; Emory University; Georgia Institute of Technology; Indiana University Bloomington; New York University; Stony Brook University; The University of Arizona; University of Maryland, College Park; University of Oregon; University of Toronto; and Washington University in St. Louis.
DROEGEMEIER MAKES FIRST SPEECH AS OSTP DIRECTOR
Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier last week addressed the 2019 AAAS Annual Meeting in his first speech since being sworn in as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). He outlined the importance of strong connections between American science, government, and industry, and said these connections strengthen the nation’s overall research and development portfolio. He also spoke to issues concerning science and security, sexual harassment in the scientific workplace, and reducing research administrative burden. Droegemeier said, “the Trump administration is absolutely…laser focused on reducing regulatory and administrative compliance burden, and like all of you, as a researcher and a former vice president for research, I know how important this is and how much it impacts our researchers directly.”