- Budget and Appropriations Update
- AAU and APLU Urge Congress, Administration to Raise the Budget Caps
- Balancing Science and Security
- Senators Introduce Legislation to Protect Federal Research
- House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on USCIS Visa Processing Delays
- Cornell Joins TOME Initiative as 15th Member
- AAU, Associations Urge Committee Leadership to Support Graduate Education
- AAU, Associations Call on Senate Leaders to Support Grad PLUS Program
- Upcoming Events
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE
Congress has just 17 combined legislative days to pass outstanding appropriations measures and fund the government.
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Tuesday announced that congressional leaders and the administration had “reached an agreement” on a two-year deal to raise the Budget Control Act budget caps and the address the debt limit to avoid default on federal payments. Congressional Democrats and the administration disagree on options to offset spending above current levels and the debt limit. Today, Democrats rejected the administrations’ offer of a package that includes $1.1 trillion in options to offset spending increases, including freezing proposed FY21 spending levels for FY22 and FY23. Negotiations are expected to continue over the weekend. Time is limited for a vote on an agreement in Congress, as the House is expected to adjourn for summer recess July 26.
RESOURCE AVAILABLE: AAU FY20 Funding Priorities Table
AAU AND APLU URGE CONGRESS, ADMINISTRATION TO RAISE THE BUDGET CAPS
AAU and APLU Wednesday sent a letter to Secretary Mnuchin, OMB acting director Russell Vought, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) urging them to work together toward a bipartisan budget agreement to raise discretionary spending caps for FY20 and FY21. The letter says, “the research university community is grateful for past actions to not only lift the Budget Control Act’s harmful discretionary caps, but to also provide additional resources to meet the country’s significant investment needs.”
RESOURCE AVAILABLE: AAU and APLU Urge Congressional Leaders to Raise Discretionary Spending Caps for FY20 and 21
BALANCING SCIENCE AND SECURITY
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman recently wrote an article for Science Magazine titled “Balancing science and security.” In the piece President Coleman highlighted the important history of the government-university partnership in facilitating scientific progress in the United States as a guide to the current rising tensions and fears of potential espionage, intellectual property theft, and threats to academic integrity posed by foreign powers.
President Coleman called out the importance of NSDD 189, which states to the maximum extent possible, the products of basic and applied research funded by the federal government should be published and widely disseminated, and that classification should be used in those limited circumstances when controlling scientific information is necessary to protect national security.
In the article, President Coleman noted that lessons of the past are instructive as we seek to maintain a balance between securing strategically important information and maintaining the free flow of scientific knowledge and international talent. American science must be openly and widely shared, but we must also continue to benefit “from the world's best and brightest scholars coming to the country to study and work. Indiscriminate restrictions on either could do irreparable harm to the U.S. scientific enterprise.”
SENATORS INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO PROTECT FEDERAL RESEARCH
Wednesday, Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) introduced the bipartisan “Secure American Research Act of 2019,” S. 2133. Similar to H.R. 3038, the “Securing American Science and Technology Act,” the measure adds a new National Science and Technology Council interagency working group that would be required to develop guidelines for consistent cybersecurity policies across various federal agencies based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology “Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity” and “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations.” The legislation would also require federal agencies to issue cybersecurity policies based on existing NIST framework and would hold universities responsible for meeting these requirements. Agencies would be required to make compliance mandatory for each grant or cooperative agreement with a grantee.
RESOURCE AVAILABLE: AAU Science & Security Page
HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON USCIS VISA PROCESSING DELAYS
The House Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee held Tuesday held a hearing titled “Policy Changes and Processing Delays at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.” During the hearing, Subcommittee Chair Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) raised concerns on the impact optional practical training delays have on diminishing the effectiveness/appeal of the program to international students. She also raised concerns about employment-based delays and requests for evidence for employment-based renewals.
AAU this week submitted a statement for the record focused on the impact of OPT processing delays and the unlawful presence memo. AAU also joined statements submitted by ACE and Compete America .
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS URGE COMMITTEE LEADERSHIP TO SUPPORT GRADUATE EDUCATION
AAU this week joined ACE, APLU, COGR, and 27 other higher education organizations to send a letter to leaders of the House and Senate education committees urging them to support federal investments in graduate and professional students as they work to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, highlighting the growing need for advanced degrees for our nation’s economy. Federal financial aid is essential to graduate and professional students who cannot afford to pay out-of-pocket for their full-time degrees, ensuring “access, affordability, and ultimately graduation.” The organizations also support “strengthening the programs that provide critical aid to students who are pursuing graduate education as well as programs that support expanding diversity, equity, and inclusiveness within graduate education.”
Inside Higher Ed has more.
RESOURCE AVAILABLE: Renewing the Higher Education Act Should Ensure Opportunity
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS CALL ON SENATE LEADERS TO SUPPORT GRAD PLUS PROGRAM
AAU, together with 19 other higher education organizations, recently sent a letter to Senate HELP Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) encouraging them to preserve the Federal Direct Graduate PLUS Loan program as they work to reauthorize the Higher Education Act. The Grad PLUS program supports federal loans for graduate or professional students to cover educational expenses that fall outside of other financial aid, helping students to commit to their studies and ultimately promotes on-time graduation. The letter highlights the importance of investing in graduate education for employers, students, and taxpayers alike, and “provides a critical pathway for graduate and professional students to finance their degrees, and as a result, enter the U.S. workforce as highly-educated and qualified professionals.”
CORNELL JOINS TOME INITIATIVE AS 15TH MEMBER
AAU, together with ARL and AUPresses, this week welcomed Cornell University to the Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem Initiative. Universities participating in TOME support open access digital publication of their faculty members’ peer-reviewed, professionally edited books by leading academic presses. The goal is to make humanities and social science scholarship more widely available and accessible.
UPCOMING EVENTS
JULY 23 HISTORY OF AMERICAN ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION SHOWCASE; 4:00 p.m. Room 485, Russell Senate Office Building. For more information and to RSVP, see the invitation here.
SEPTEMBER 10 GOLDEN GOOSE AWARDS; 5:30 p.m. at the Library of Congress. See the Save the Date for more information.