CONTENTS:
- Budget and Appropriations, NDAA Update
- House Approves Minibus Package
- Senate to Revisit NDAA Monday
- Mary Sue’s Desk: The Three Vs of Graduate Education
- DACA in Political Limbo
- AAU Submits Joint Statement to Senate Judiciary Committee
- Organizations Urge Congress to Oppose PROSPER Act Provisions
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS, NDAA UPDATE
The House Appropriations Committee Wednesday marked up its FY19 Interior-Environment funding bill, which provides $155 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), a $2 million boost over FY18. AAU Thursday issued a statement praising Appropriator’s action to increase federal investment in the NEH. Details about science and technology program funding will be released after the full committee completes its markup.
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense approved its FY19 spending bill Thursday. The spending bill would give a $606.5 billion base for discretionary funding, about $17.1 billion more than last year’s spending level. The full committee will take up the defense bill Wednesday.
The House today voted to approve a three-bill “minibus” spending package. The minibus (H.R. 5895) contains the FY19 Energy and Water, Military-Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch appropriations bills. The House FY19 Energy and Water bill would fund the department's Office of Science at $6.6 billion, a $340 million increase above FY18, and ARPA-E at $325 million, a $28 million cut below FY18.
The Senate Thursday voted to end debate on the 2019 NDAA bill. The chamber will hold a second vote to proceed with the bill Monday.
As the appropriations process moves forward, AAU will continue to update its FY19 funding tables.
MARY SUE’S DESK: THE THREE VS OF GRADUATE EDUCATION
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman released a blog post earlier this week to discuss AAU’s Ph.D. Education Initiative, the recently-released National Academies report on Graduate STEM Education, and how AAU’s unique convening power can help bridge the report’s policy recommendations to real changes in institutional practice. She writes that by making diverse Ph.D. career pathways visible, valued, and viable, AAU and its national partners can positively impact Ph.D. education.
Share her blog on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
DACA IN POLITICAL LIMBO
Under pressure from House Republicans, Speaker Ryan has pledged a vote on an unreleased immigration bill. However, a House parliamentary procedure known as the “Queen of the Hill” (QOTH) rule, backed by a bipartisan group of House members, may set in motion a series of votes on four immigration bills as early as June 19. Two of these bills, the USA Act and the DREAM Act support pathways for legal citizenship for DACA registrants.
The group says it has enough signatures to meet the required 218 needed to force a QOTH vote. Under the QOTH rule, whichever bill receives the most votes beyond a 50 percent threshold is approved and moves to the Senate. Speaker Ryan could pre-empt the rule if he brings up a vote on another bill, but this is unlikely without Republican consensus.
AAU SUBMITS JOINT STATEMENT TO SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE
AAU, APLU, ACE, and COGR Wednesday submitted a joint statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee today regarding its subcommittee hearing on educational opportunity and national security. The statement outlines the associations’ concerns and reaffirms their shared commitment to ensuring the security of research conducted on behalf of the U.S. government.
ORGANIZATIONS URGE CONGRESS TO OPPOSE PROSPER ACT PROVISIONS
Eighty-six organizations yesterday sent a letter to congress expressing opposition to damaging provisions in the PROSPER ACT (H.R. 4508). The letter states these provisions, including rollbacks to program integrity and consumer protection in higher education, would leave students vulnerable to expensive, low-quality programs, deceptive program sales tactics, and risk increasing the burden of student loan debt.
SENATE CONFIRMS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER
The Senate Thursday confirmed Kenneth Marcus to serve as the assistant secretary for civil rights, replacing acting secretary Candice Jackson at the head of the Education Department’s Office of Civil Rights. Marcus is the president and founder of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, and served in the Bush administration on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, the Department of Education, and at Housing and Urban Development.
Jackson will resume her previous post as deputy assistant secretary for strategic operations and outreach.
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