- Resource Available: AAU Key Issue Two-pagers
- President Approves Stopgap Measure to Fund Government Through Dec. 11
- House Advances $2.2 T Pandemic Relief Measure, Trump COVID-19 Diagnosis Reinvigorates Negotiations
- Ad Hoc Group Calls for Emergency Funding for NIH Medical Research
- AAU, Associations Call on Education Department to End “Misguided” Investigation of Princeton University
- AAU-Led Coalition Letter Highlights Immigration Provisions in FY21 NDAA
- AAU, Associations request OMB to Extend Grant Flexibilities During Pandemic
- AAU Joins NASFAA Comments on Proposed Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Data Collection Form
- AAU, Associations Offer Expertise, Resources for DHS Advisory Council’s Academic Subcommittee
- Defense Department Publishes Interim Rule on CMMC Framework Implementation
- Treasury Department Releases Final Rule for Endowment Excise Tax
- New Report Examines Ways to Ensure American Leadership in Discovery and Innovation
- House Republican China Task Force Releases Report
- House Armed Services Committee Future of Defense Task Force Releases Final Report
- Upcoming Events
RESOURCES AVAILABLE: KEY ISSUE TWO-PAGERS
New two-pagers titled “Fostering and Protecting Free Speech on Campus,” “the Government-University Partnership,” and “Renew Investments in Vital Scientific Infrastructure” are available on the AAU website.
PRESIDENT SIGNS STOPGAP MEASURE TO FUND GOVERNMENT THROUGH DEC. 11
Early yesterday morning, the president signed a continuing resolution to fund the government at current levels through Dec. 11. The measure includes $30 billion in farm aid and $8 billion in nutrition assistance for children who normally receive free or reduced school lunches. The bill also extends the availability of funding for NIH multiyear research grants, prevents the Defense Department from beginning new multiyear activities for the duration of the continuing resolution, and includes additional funding for the 2020 Census.
The stopgap spending measure gives lawmakers just over two months to finalize $1.4 trillion in FY21 funding decisions.
HOUSE ADVANCES $2.2T PANDEMIC RELIEF MEASURE, TRUMP COVID-19 DIAGNOSIS REINVIGORATES NEGOTIATIONS
Yesterday, along party lines, the House advanced a “slimmer” version of H.R. 6800, the “Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act.” The chamber originally introduced and approved the measure in May. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) yesterday said that while she does not anticipate the measure becoming law, it was important for Democrats to outline their negotiation priorities, CQ News reports.
The Washington Post reports that, earlier today, Pelosi expressed optimism that the House could reach an agreement with the administration and said that the president’s COVID-19 diagnosis could help speed up negotiations for a potential relief package. The article also mentions that White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said that the president “inquired” about the status of negotiations.
Yesterday, Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin discussed a potential relief package “several times” via phone but have yet to reach an agreement on the details of such a measure. Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) said that “Pelosi continues to put the roadblock even higher.” Sticking points in negotiations include a $50 billion expansion of refundable tax credits for low-income households, the recission of $150 billion in tax deductions for business losses, the amount of state and local aid, and the distribution of small business aid.
RESOURCES AVAILABLE: AAU, Associations Urge Lawmakers to Include Research Relief in Pandemic Aid Measure | AAU Joins ACE, Associations to Request Additional Pandemic Relief for Higher Education
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS CALL ON EDUCATION DEPARTMENT TO END “MISGUIDED” INVESTIGATION OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
AAU on Wednesday joined ACE and 54 other higher education organizations on a letter calling on the Education Department to suspend its “unprecedented and unwarranted investigation” of Princeton University. Across the nation, colleges and universities are engaged in a “national reckoning about the role systemic racism and racial violence and injustice has played in the history of our country and the continuing need to assess, address, and right the wrongs that continue to exist today,” the letter notes. The organizations go on to say that the investigation is “likely to chill the genuine efforts of hundreds of other institutions, many without the resources that Princeton has to defend itself against a federal investigation, to identify, recognize, and correct injustices.”
AAU-LED COALITION LETTER HIGHLIGHTS IMMIGRATION PROVISIONS IN FY21 NDAA
Today, AAU led a group of 28 organizations on a letter to House and Senate Armed Services and Judiciary Committee leaders to support two key provisions – Section 1763 and 281 – included in H.R. 6395, the House version of the FY21 National Defense Authorization Act. Section 1763 affirms that international students enrolled in online coursework can maintain their visa status for the duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Inspired by the National Security Innovation Pathway Act , Section 281 would establish a pathway to permanent residency for qualified individuals engaged in work to support the national security innovation base. These provisions, the letter says, are “unequivocally germane to the Defense Department’s workforce development capabilities to draw on a pipeline of top talent for employment or further training.”
AD HOC GROUP CALLS FOR EMERGENCY FUNDING FOR NIH MEDICAL RESEARCH
The Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research last week issued a statement calling on negotiators to include emergency funding for medical research in the potential COVID-19 relief measure and to complete the FY21 appropriations process as quickly as possible. The group says that emergency funding for NIH-funded medical research is necessary to help develop diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines for COVID-19, and to support the nation’s research enterprise as it recovers from the pandemic. “Without action, this pandemic will have long-lasting effects even once the immediate crisis abates, given the delays it will cause for ongoing research and the chilling impact on the scientific workforce,” the letter says. AAU is a member of the group’s steering committee.
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS REQUEST OMB TO EXTEND GRANT FLEXIBILITIES DURING PANDEMIC
AAU on Tuesday joined COGR, APLU, AAMC, AAAS, and ACE on a letter to the White House Office of Management and Budget to request the extension of salary charging flexibilities included in M-20-26. In the letter, the associations urge OMB to extend the deadline beyond September 30 until at least April 2021. The extension would allow the flexibilities to be reevaluated and permit the office to put in place a process to reinstate these salary continuity measures if restrictions on research continue due to the pandemic.
AAU JOINS NASFAA COMMENTS ON PROPOSED HIGHER EDUCATION EMERGENCY RELIEF FUND DATA COLLECTION FORM
Last week, AAU joined NASFAA and five other organizations to submit comments to the Education Department in response to its July 29 Federal Register notice seeking feedback about the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund’s proposed annual data collection form. In the comments, the organizations addressed questions outlined by the department and provided other technical concerns about the data collection tool. According to the organizations, the comments sought “to add clarity to several proposed reporting fields and reduce institutional burden to the fullest extent possible, while still meeting the spirit and letter of the reporting requirements.”
AAU, ASSOCIATIONS OFFER EXPERTISE, RESOURCES FOR DHS ADVISORY COUNCIL’S ACADEMIC SUBCOMMITTEE
AAU last week joined ACE and 10 other higher education organizations on a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf and Homeland Security Advisory Council Chair William Bratton offering to act as resources for the council’s new academic subcommittee. “We believe the ongoing opportunity for dialogue and engagement between DHS and the higher education community about pressing issues of common concern is of enormous value, and we are hopeful that this new academic subcommittee will offer similar opportunities,” the letter says.
DEFENSE DEPARTMENT PUBLISHES INTERIM RULE ON CMMC FRAMEWORK IMPLEMENTATION
On Tuesday, the Defense Department released an interim rule on implementation of its Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification framework. According to the department, the framework was developed to “enhance the protection of controlled unclassified information … within the supply chain.” AAU recently joined EDUCAUSE, COGR, and APLU on a letter urging the department to exclude fundamental research from the potentially burdensome and harmful changes to the program, pointing out that these new requirements would have a chilling effect on defense research done on university campuses.
TREASURY DEPARTMENT RELEASES FINAL RULE FOR ENDOWMENT EXCISE TAX
The Treasury Department recently released the final rule for the 1.4 percent excise tax on certain private university endowments that was create by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The final rule addresses many of the concerns raised by AAU and other higher education organizations. An initial summary of the measure from NACUBO says the final rule: “recognizes that colleges and universities are not strictly comparable to private foundations; provides a reasonable safe harbor for calculating cash needs; excludes from the definition of investment income certain categories of revenue that are inherently a part of efforts to further a student’s educational experience; [and] streamlines the requirements to gather basis information from donors of gifts of appreciated property.”
NEW REPORT EXAMINES WAYS TO ENSURE AMERICAN LEADERSHIP IN DISCOVERY AND INNOVATION
On Wednesday, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and The Baker Institute for Public Policy released a report titled “The Perils of Complacency: America at a Tipping Point in Science & Engineering.” The report provides an updated assessment of the state of the federal government’s investment in American research since AAAS’s previous report, “Restoring the Foundation,” was issued five years ago. The new report reaffirms its previous recommendations, including: increasing total research and development investment; increasing federal funding for basic research at a sustained real growth rate of at least 4 percent per year; reviewing regulations, policies, and reporting requirements currently imposed on the conduct of R&D with the purpose of eliminating constraints that do not offer demonstrable benefits; and doubling the number of H1-B visas. Among the new recommendations are calls for: states restoring pre-Great Recession levels of public university funding; and repealing the tax placed on the earnings of endowments of private universities.
HOUSE REPUBLICAN CHINA TASK FORCE RELEASES REPORT
The China Task Force, a group of 15 Republican representatives, released a 130-page report which includes 82 key findings and more than 400 “forward-leaning” recommendations to address competition and national security concerns related to China. The report provides insight on potential focus areas for future legislation from House Republicans. In July, AAU staff and Senior Resource Officers from four AAU members participated in a roundtable discussion with members of the Task Force and their staff to discuss foreign influences and provide the Task Force with perspective on threats from China.
HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE FUTURE OF DEFENSE TASK FORCE RELEASES FINAL REPORT
The House Armed Services Committee’s bipartisan Future of Defense Task Force released a final report assessing the future needs and recommendations on how to bridge the gap from current defense capabilities to future requirements. The report urges the Defense Department to rethink national security, including by investing in artificial intelligence, quantum computing and biotechnology and by calling for a “whole-of-nation” strategy addressing the rise of China.
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.