CONTENTS:
- Trump Administration FY18 Budget Request, “A New Foundation for American Greatness”
- Appeals Court Affirms Injunction Blocking President Trump’s Travel Ban
- House Science Subcommittees Joint Hearing on NSF F&A Costs
- House Appropriations Subcommittee Hearing on FY18 Department of Education Budget
- 149 National Organizations Send Letter Opposing Administration Cuts
- 58 Scientific and Academic Organizations Urge President Trump to Appoint OSTP Director
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FY18 BUDGET REQUEST, “A NEW FOUNDATION FOR AMERICAN GREATNESS”
The President’s FY18 budget, released Tuesday, reflects many of the dramatic cuts to higher education and research funding proposed in the Administration’s Budget Blueprint, released earlier this year.
AAU has prepared a summary of the provisions of interest to research universities and each of the agency funding tables has been updated and is available on the AAU website.
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman issued a statement Tuesday expressing serious concern about the proposed cuts citing the “enormous dividends in medical advancements, new technologies, and enhanced national security” as a result of federal investments in university research.
APPEALS COURT AFFIRMS INJUNCTION BLOCKING PRESIDENT TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN
On Thursday, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s nationwide preliminary injunction blocking President Trump’s executive order limiting travel to the U.S. from several predominantly Muslim countries. The court found that the executive order’s stated national security interest was provided in bad faith as a pretext for the order’s religious purpose.
In a forcefully written opinion, Chief Judge Gregory stated that the executive order “in text speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus, and discrimination.” The decision also noted that the President’s power to deny entry to aliens is not absolute.
Several other cases remain pending in courts across the country, including Hawaii v. Trump in the Ninth Circuit. We anticipate that one or more of these cases will go to the Supreme Court.
HOUSE SCIENCE SUBCOMMITTEES JOINT HEARING ON NSF F&A COSTS
On Wednesday, the Oversight, and Research and Technology Subcommittees of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee held a joint hearing titled Examining the Overhead Cost of Research.
A representative of the GAO, Mr. John Neuman provided preliminary findings from a study being conducted on facilities and administrative (F&A) costs at the NSF. He noted that GAO found an overall increase in F&A costs from 2010 through 2017, however, GAO has not yet identified the reasons for the increase. A witness from Ohio University, Dr. Richard Vedder asserted that universities profit from F&A costs and recommended capping F&A reimbursement or building incentives into the grant awards process to reward universities with lower F&A rates. Representing Duke University, Mr. James Luther defended the current system, explaining the mixture of F&A rates across institutions, and provided data to show that universities subsidize government research because of the existing OMB cap on administrative costs.
AAU, in collaboration with APLU, COGR, and AAMC, has developed F&A cost materials which can be found on the AAU Costs of Research webpage.
HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON FY18 DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BUDGET
On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies held a hearing to discuss the Department of Education FY18 budget. In her opening remarks, Secretary DeVos acknowledged that the President’s education budget “may sound alarming for some” but insisted that it refocuses priorities to provide high-quality education to all students.
Regarding student aid, DeVos said the budget aims to simplify and “reduce complexity” of funding for college while increasing accessibility for low-income students.
Secretary DeVos announced plans to honor student debt relief claims that were approved during the Obama administration, which would expunge the student loans of borrowers the Department has identified as having been defrauded by their college. DeVos did not address whether the Department plans to review the debt claims yet to be decided.
149 NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS SEND LETTER OPPOSING ADMINISTRATION CUTS
On Thursday, a group of 149 science and engineering, medical and health, and higher education organizations, including AAU, sent a letter to House and Senate leaders urging them to reject the cuts to scientific research proposed in the Administration’s budget. The letter cautions that sweeping cuts to NIH, NSF, DOE, DOD, NASA and others would cripple the science and technology enterprise and significantly impact U.S. economic competitiveness.
Citing prior bipartisan support, the letter asks that congressional leaders consider the critical need for sustainable and robust investments in scientific research as they begin work on FY18 appropriations bills.
58 SCIENTIFIC AND ACADEMIC ORGANIZATIONS URGE PRESIDENT TRUMP TO APPOINT OSTP DIRECTOR
Recently, AAU joined 57 other national associations, scientific societies, and universities in a letter urging President Trump to nominate a highly-qualified individual to serve as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The letter notes the important leadership role of the OSTP Director in setting science and technology budgets and other key national priorities. This request is consistent with the policy recommendations AAU submitted to President-elect Trump and the transition team earlier this year.
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