CONTENTS:
- AAU President Again Urges Congress to Protect DACA Students
- Budget and Appropriations Update
- House Advances Student Loan Counseling Legislation
- Senate Panel Approves OSTP Director, NASA Deputy Nominations
AAU PRESIDENT AGAIN URGES CONGRESS TO PROTECT DACA STUDENTS
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman earlier this week released a statement urging Congress to immediately enact a permanent legislative solution to protect DACA participants. Her statement comes a few days after a federal judge in Texas declined to issue a preliminary injunction in a challenge brought by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and six other state attorneys general. The Texas federal judge, however, held that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their argument that the program exceeds executive branch authority. In his opinion, Judge Hanen wrote, “If the nation truly wants a DACA program, it is up to Congress to say so.”
The state attorneys general are likely to appeal Hanen’s order to the 5th Circuit Court. If the AGs are victorious there, it increases the likelihood that DACA’s fate will be determined by the U.S. Supreme Court.
BUDGET AND APPROPRIATIONS UPDATE
House Majority Leader McCarthy said today that he expects his chamber will vote next week on the three-bill FY19 spending minibus (H.R. 5895) that includes Energy and Water, Mil-Con and Veterans Affairs, and Legislative Branch funds. As of this afternoon, lawmakers continued to hold conference negotiations to hammer out final details of the funding bill. It is unclear when conference negotiations will conclude.
Meanwhile, conference negotiations between House and Senate lawmakers on the annual defense appropriations bill reportedly wrapped up yesterday. Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Chair Kay Granger (R-TX) told reporters she expects to report any remaining issues to the House Appropriations Committee today. Reports suggest the final defense bill is unlikely to advance until appropriators finalize the FY19 Labor-HHS-Education spending bill.
The third FY19 minibus (H.R. 6147), which combines Interior-Environment, Financial Services, Agriculture, and Commerce-Justice-Science funds, also gained momentum this week as both the House and Senate announced conferees. See House majority conferees here, minority conferees here. See Senate majority and minority conferees here.
See AAU’s updated FY19 funding priorities table here.
HOUSE ADVANCES STUDENT LOAN COUNSELING LEGISLATION
The House on Wednesday voted 406-4 to approve legislation (H.R. 1635) that would require colleges and universities to offer financial aid counseling once a year to student borrowers and expand it to Pell Grant recipients and those borrowing for a dependent. The Senate has yet to consider a similar measure (S. 2081) introduced by Senator Mark Warner (D-VA).
SENATE PANEL APPROVES OSTP DIRECTOR, NASA DEPUTY NOMINATIONS
The Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee today approved by voice vote the nominations of Kelvin Droegemeier to director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy and James Morhard to deputy administrator of NASA. Both nominations will now receive Senate floor consideration.
AAU President Mary Sue Coleman previously issued a statement praising Droegemeier's nomination and urging the Senate to speedily confirm him to the position.
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