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Category: On the Hill

Graduate Student & Professional Senate Leaders Take D.C.

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This week, four graduate student leaders from UW’s Graduate Student & Professional Senate (GPSS) visited Washington D.C. to meet with Congressional staff and advocate for their priorities as graduate students across the country and in Washington specifically. The annual trip to D.C. was put on hold the past few years due to the pandemic, making this year’s visit a great opportunity to reconnect with offices in person and update them on graduate student concerns. The group, which included A.J. Balatico (GPSS President), Kaustubh Yadav (GPSS and SAGE Communications Director), Janis Shin (TABS Chair), and Ella Spurlock (GPSS Exec Senator, Science and Policy Chair), met with 11 of the Washington delegation’s offices where they discussed support for higher education, international students, and research opportunities and advocated for efforts to diversify academic pipelines, ease the visa processes for international students, and expand direct financial support to graduate students. 

 

President Cauce Visits with Washington Congressional Delegation

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UW’s President Ana Mari Cauce visited DC last week for an exciting and jam-packed day, meeting with the members of the Washington Congressional delegation in the Senate and House of Representatives. President Cauce discussed a wide range of topics including updates on the exciting research and studies going on at the university as well as UW’s 2024 goals while thanking our WA delegation for their continued representation and support.

UW & WSU Engineering Deans Visit with Washington Delegation in D.C.

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Last week, the UW’s College of Engineering Dean, Dr. Nancy Allbritton, met with Washington’s congressional members and staff in Washington, D.C. (including with Senator Cantwell pictured above!)  Dr. Allbritton was accompanied by Washington State University’s Dean of Engineering, Dr. Mary Rezac, for a few of the meetings to discuss how federal investment in research is helping lead Washington state to the forefront of scientific knowledge and discovery in areas from quantum and AI to clean energy and aerospace.

For more information about visiting the district and setting up meetings with congressional offices, please click here.

House Still Making History

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The House of Representatives is still making history today, failing to elect a Speaker after a fifth round of voting, which concluded just a few minutes ago.  The last time the voting for Speaker among the House Members went beyond the first ballot was a hundred years ago.  The level of opposition to Kevin McCarthy of California among the House Republicans actually grew between the first and the fifth votes.

Read more about the developments here, here, and here.

Something We Haven’t Seen in A Long Time…

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As expected, the new 118th House of Representatives gathered earlier today to elect the new Speaker.  Before the new Members gathered to vote, all of Washington knew that Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), who was the Minority Leader in the 117th Congress, was going to have a difficult time garnering enough support from the most hard-core rightwing of the House Republican caucus.  The first vote for Speaker demonstrated exactly how difficult a path McCarthy faces.

With 218 voted needed to become Speaker, McCarthy received even fewer votes that many of his supporters had predicted:  he received 203 votes, with 19 House Republicans opposing his Speakership.  In fact, the new Democratic leader, Hakeem Jeffries of New York received more votes for Speaker, with a total of 212.  For the first time in 100 years, the vote for Speaker is now headed to a second ballot.

Read more about the situation here, here, here, and here.