Washington Insights & Highlights September 9th
Congress Returns and House Appropriators Call for Cuts to Federal Funding
The U.S. Congress has returned from its August recess with the task of passing all 12 appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2025. Congressional Leadership and appropriations committee members are signaling that some appropriations bills could be passed before the September 30 deadline, with a short-term continuing resolution for the remaining bills.
Today, the House Appropriations Subcommittee will markup the FY 2026 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education bill, which funds the U.S. Department of Education and proposes a $366 million cut to higher education programs, as outlined in the bill report. The bill rejects the NIH cuts included in the President’s budget request by providing $46.9 billion for the agency’s base budget, but calls for a 37 percent reduction to ARPA-H. On September 10, the House Appropriations Committee will also markup the FY 2026 Commerce, Justice, and Science bill, which proposes a $2 billion cut to the National Science Foundation.
CGS has signed onto several coalition letters, and we encourage you to visit our Budget and Appropriations page for the latest updates.
DHS Proposes Significant Changes to the Duration of Status Policy
On August 28, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that proposes a fixed time period for nonimmigrants in the following visa classifications: F (academic students); J (exchange visitors); and I (representatives of foreign information media). The DHS is proposing to effectively end “duration of status” for these visa classifications. Under this proposed rule, individuals applying for admission into the United States on either an F or J visa status would be admitted for a fixed date that cannot exceed 4-years, plus a period of 30 days following the end of date of their program. To remain in the United States longer than the fixed 4-year period would require F and J visa-holders to apply for an extension of stay.
The NPRM is proposing significant changes to the current duration of status policy, including:
- Fixed Time Period: Currently, F and J nonimmigrants are able to remain in the United States for the duration of their educational program. Again, this proposed rule would restrict that to a 4-year period of time.
- Departure Date: Currently, nonimmigrant visa-holders have 60 days to depart the United States upon completion of their programs. Under the proposed rule, they will now only have 30 days to depart.
- Extension of Stay (EOS): This proposed rule includes a detailed application process for the extension of stay (EOS). F and J nonimmigrants would have to file a Form I-539 (Application to Extend/Change Nonimmigrant Status) with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service. NOTE: The NPRM includes many scenarios concerning the proposed EOS process.
- Optional Practical Training (OPT): F and J nonimmigrants who need additional time to complete their current program of study, F-1 OPT or STEM OPT, or J-1 academic training must apply for an extension of stay. NOTE: The NPRM includes many scenarios concerning OPT and the automatic extension of authorized employment.
- Restrictions on Transfers and Educational Objectives: This proposed rule prohibits F-1 students in a graduate level program from changing educational objectives or transferring from within the United States. The proposed rule prohibits F-1 students from lateral and reverse matriculation of educational levels. For example, an individual in master’s program may not reverse matriculation and start another educational program at the master’s level or baccalaureate level.
This is a lengthy and complex NPRM, so CGS members are encouraged to read it and discuss it with your Office of International Affairs to fully understand the implication of these proposed changes on your institution/graduate school.
NAFSA: Association of International Educators has an comprehensive summary of the NPRM.
All comments are due by September 29, 2025.
Executive Orders on Higher Ed Admissions and Federal Grantmaking
During the August recess, President Donald Trump issued two executive actions affecting higher education and research. The first, Ensuring Transparency in Higher Education Admissions, directs the U.S. Department of Education to expand the collection of university admissions data, including information about the applicants they admit and enroll. The Department of Education has opened a public comment period on the proposed collection, with comments due October 14, 2025.
The second executive order, Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking, requires each agency head to designate a senior presidential appointee to review funding opportunity announcements and discretionary grants. The order sets review principles that grants should demonstrably advance the President’s policy priorities. It directs federal agencies to favor a broad distribution of recipients and institutions with lower indirect cost rates. The order also requires language within contract and grant clauses to permit rapid termination if a project is judged no longer aligned with agency priorities.
Why It Matters: This executive order allows senior appointees and their designees to review and approve federal grant funding announcements. While this order does not discourage or prevent the use of the peer review process, it does say that peer review recommendations are advisory and should not be ministerially ratified.
Federal Agencies Release Gold Standard Science Policies
Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institutes of Health, and the National Science Foundation have released plans to implement President Donald Trump’s May 23 executive order, “Restoring Gold-Standard Science.” In total, nine federal agencies have released implementation plans, mostly reinforcing existing policies.
Below are links to key agencies that affect the graduate education community:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
NASEM Report Calls for the Overhaul of Federal Research Regulations
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently issued a report that calls for the streamlining of federal regulations and the easing of administrative burdens for universities and researchers. The Simplifying Research Regulations and Policies: Optimizing American Science, lays-out three principles to underpin a new national strategy for an efficient regulatory framework. These three principles are:
- Harmonizing regulations and requirements across federal and state agencies and research institutions.
- Take an approach where regulations and requirements are tied to the nature, likelihood, and potential consequences of risks for the research being conducted.
- Use technology to increase efficiency and simplify the process for complying with regulations and requirements to the greatest extent possible.
To address the burdensome regulatory environment, the report proposes that the White House Office of Management and Budget establish a cross-agency group that includes the Federal Policy Board, the Federal Demonstration Project, and research institutions. The NASEM report also proposes the establishment of an interagency working group to align human subjects research policies and definitions. In terms of the protection of research assets, the report notably suggests amending the CHIPS and Science Act, to make research security training mandatory at the time of the award and to provide flexibility in the frequency of the training.
NIH Director Outlines New Unified Agency Strategy
On August 15, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya announced a new unified strategy to better align agency priorities. This framework emphasizes addressing chronic health challenges such as childhood diseases and nutrition while investing in next-generation research tools like artificial intelligence, real-world data platforms, and alternative testing models. NIH is also committed to strengthening the biomedical research workforce, enhancing transparency, and rebuilding public trust through increased oversight of international research and expanded support for replication studies.
Director Bhattacharya underscored the importance of directing taxpayer resources toward “meritorious and impactful science,” while empowering NIH Institutes, Centers, and Offices to balance agency priorities, workforce needs, and program objectives in funding decisions.