- Negotiations Resume, but Future of Pandemic Relief Remains Unclear
- AAU, APLU Urge OMB to Prioritize Government-University Partnership in FY22 Budget Request
- Administration Announces New Rules Affecting H-1B Visas
- AAU, Associations Request Extension of DHS Duration of Status NPRM Comment Period
- 106 Representatives Send Letter Outlining Concerns with DHS Duration of Status NPRM
- Energy Department Office of Science Announces Graduate Student Research Program Awards
- Upcoming Events
NEGOTIATIONS RESUME, BUT FUTURE OF PANDEMIC RELIEF REMAINS UNCLEAR
Yesterday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin held a call to discuss the possibility of reaching agreement on a pandemic relief bill. During the call, Mnuchin indicated that the president is very interested in advancing a COVID-19 stimulus measure.
According to Politico Pro, senior administration officials and members of Congress plan to work nonstop for the next week to get a deal. The White House will reportedly accept a $1.8 trillion measure, and congressional Republicans maintain that they will not approve a bill that costs more than $2 trillion. Even if Democrats and the administration come to an agreement on a bill and advance it to the Senate before the election, it could face opposition in that chamber. Today, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said in a press conference that an aid package was “unlikely in the next three weeks,” CNBC reports.
AAU, APLU URGE OMB TO PRIORITIZE GOVERNMENT-UNIVERSITY PARTNERSHIP IN FY22 BUDGET REQUEST
Last night, AAU and APLU sent a letter to Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought requesting federal investments in research and higher education be prioritized in the administration’s FY22 budget request. The letter says that in order to “ensure that the [United States] remains the global innovation leader, we strongly urge the administration’s FY 2022 budget align with the recommendation of the new report, ‘The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science & Engineering’ to increase federal funding for basic research at a sustained real growth rate.” The letter also recommends the FY22 budget increase the maximum Pell Grant, and invest in the Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, Federal Work-Study, and other Education Department programs that help students complete their degrees. The letter also notes the need to mitigate the harmful impacts of the pandemic and the need in FY22 for additional relief if Congress and the administration fail to reach an agreement in FY21.
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCES NEW RULES AFFECTING H-1B VISAS
On Tuesday, the administration announced new rules that would make it more difficult for high-skilled foreign workers with college degrees to acquire visas. The Labor Department introduced an interim final rule that would require employers to substantially raise wages for H-1B visa holders. Of the rule, Deputy Secretary of Labor Patrick Pizzella said it was necessary to protect American jobs from “the risk lower-cost foreign labor can pose to the well-being of U.S. workers.” The same day, the Department of Homeland Security introduced an interim final rule which leaves unchanged the cap exemption for university employers but would narrow the criteria for meeting the threshold of “specialty occupations” eligible for H-1B visas. Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli said the rule could cut the number of annual petitions for H-1B visas by a third, The New York Times reports. The final rules are expected to be challenged in court soon.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS REQUEST EXTENSION OF DHS DURATION OF STATUS NPRM COMMENT PERIOD
AAU on Tuesday joined ACE and eight other higher education organizations on a letter to Department of Homeland Security and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement leaders requesting they extend the comment period of its proposed rule , published Sept. 25, modifying duration of status for certain visa holders to 60 days. The organizations say that the comment period for the rule is “an unreasonably compressed time for affected constituencies to assess, discuss, and meaningfully respond regarding the impact on higher education institutions and our international students.” Extending the rule’s comment period to 60 days would allow colleges and universities affected by COVID-19 time to complete a careful analysis of the complex proposed rule.
106 REPRESENTATIVES SEND LETTER OUTLINING CONCERNS WITH DHS DURATION OF STATUS NPRM
Reps. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Mark Pocan (D-WI) led a group of 106 members of Congress sending a letter to Department of Homeland Security acting Secretary Chad Wolf to express their concerns about the department’s Sept. 25 proposed rule. The rule would limit international student visa lengths and place additional restrictions on student visas based on an individual's country of origin. The letter highlights the importance of international students to our nation’s colleges and universities, and notes that “this proposed rule would undermine our nation’s leadership in higher education and research.”
ENERGY DEPARTMENT OFFICE OF SCIENCE ANNOUNCES GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM AWARDS
On Wednesday, the Energy Department’s Office of Science announced it had selected 52 graduate students for its Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program’s 2020 Solicitation 1 cycle. The group includes scholars from 44 colleges and universities, including 24 AAU institutions. The program gives outstanding U.S. graduate students the opportunity to conduct research for their thesis with a DOE laboratory scientist at one of the national laboratories for 3-12 months, with the goal of advancing the student’s “overall doctoral thesis while providing access to the expertise, resources, and capabilities available at the DOE laboratories/facilities.”
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER 12 OFFICE OF SCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENT RESEARCH PROGRAM NOMINATIONS DUE; Nominations can be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET Thursday, November 12. More information and nomination instructions can be found here.
DECEMBER 1 GOLDEN GOOSE AWARD VIRTUAL CEREMONY; 4:00 p.m. ET. More information available here.