Senate Appropriations Committee Markup
On July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a markup of the Defense and Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Acts. You can watch the archived markup at the preceding link and review the FY26 LHHS Bill Summary. The legislative text and committee report will also be posted on this site for further review.
As described in Chairwoman Collins Press Release, the bill includes the following provisions of interest:
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): $48.7 billion for NIH, an increase of $400 million.
- NIH Indirect Costs: Maintains language prohibiting changes to indirect cost rates.
- TRIO: $1.2 billion to support low-income individuals and first-generation college students.
- Pell Maximum Award: Maintains the maximum Pell award for a total of $7,395 for the 2026-2027 school year.
The House Committee on Appropriations has not yet marked up their FY26 Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Bill. As such, legislative activity will continue in this space in advance of the end of the Federal Fiscal Year, September 30th.
Litigation Tracker Update
The Universities of Wisconsin Litigation Update page has been updated to reflect recent activity in this space. If interested, feel free to review to see updates across a variety of cases. They include a multi-state case seeking a ruling that a change in “agency priorities” is not a sufficient basis under the Uniform Guidance to terminate grants, and a multi-state case challenging Department of Education’s non-continuation of MHSP and SBMH grants.
Recent Federal Actions
- Department of Education: U.S. Department of Education Initiates Investigation into Duke University and Duke Law Journal
- Department of Justice: Justice Department Finds the University of California-Los Angeles in Violation of Federal Civil Rights Law
- Department of Justice: Justice Department Releases Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination
- Department of Education: Secretary McMahon Statement on Brown University Deal
- Select Committee on the CCP: Moolenaar, Walberg, Stefanik Unveil New Harvard-CCP Ties