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News and updates

Trump Travel Ban

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On Tuesday, President Trump signed an Executive Order resurrecting and expanding the travel ban put in place during his first term. This new ban prohibits citizens of Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen from entering the United States.

The ban, which the White House said would go into effect on Monday, excludes any nationals of these countries who hold green cards, along with anyone traveling to the U.S. for coming major sporting events, including the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028. Afghans who receive special immigrant visas—a visa reserved for Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military during its two-decade presence in Afghanistan—are also exempt.

Additionally, the order imposes restrictions on citizens of Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela. Citizens from these seven countries will be barred from permanently immigrating to the United States, but will still be eligible for other temporary visas, such as the H-1B temporary work visa.

Dept. of Education Budget Request Released

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The Trump administration has released its budget request for the Department of Education for Fiscal Year 2026, proposing steep funding cuts of more than 15%—a $12 billion reduction in budget authority. The administration characterizes these cuts as part of a broader effort to “responsibly wind down” the department.

While the president’s budget request serves as an important policy statement, it carries no legal authority. Final funding decisions rest with Congress, which determines allocations through the annual appropriations process. Several key Congressional committees are set to begin deliberations in the coming weeks, shaping the future of federal education spending.

Included below are some of the key higher education policy changes proposed in the budget request:

  • Pell Grant Reduction: The maximum Pell Grant award would be cut by $1,685, reducing it to $5,710 in total. The administration argues that this is necessary to address a $2.7 billion shortfall that has resulted from increasing instances of fraud as well as congressional irresponsibility.
  • Elimination of TRIO Programs: Federal funding for TRIO programs would be ended entirely. The administration argues that programs to support students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be better administered by individual states.
  • Cuts to Federal Work-Study: The administration requests to cut funding for work-study programs by $980 million. The administration hopes these proposed cuts will help to “enact a more appropriate split between Federal and employer wage subsidy, where employers pay 75 percent of a student’s hourly wages and reduce the federal contribution to 25 percent.”
  • Defunding GEAR UP: The GEAR UP program would also be defunded under this proposal.

Trump Signs Executive Orders on Nuclear Energy & Federal Research

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Last week, President Trump signed two Executive Orders on nuclear energy and Gold Standard Science.

The Reinvigorating the Nuclear Industrial Base order seeks to expedite and promote the production and operation of nuclear energy in America by streamlining regulations, allowing reactor construction on federal lands, and requiring the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to issue licensing decisions within 18 months. The orders also promote uranium mining and enrichment to strengthen the domestic nuclear fuel supply.

Meanwhile, the Restoring Gold Standard Science Executive Order mandates that federally funded research adhere to stricter principles of transparency and reproducibility standards. The Executive Order cites falling public trust in scientific research as justification for the new instructions, which include new definitions for numerous terms and strict enforcement guidelines. The new procedures are set to take place within 30 days.

 

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House Republicans passed their multi-trillion-dollar reconciliation package this morning, a major victory for Speaker Johnson and President Trump. The passage comes after weeks of infighting amongst Republicans, with both moderate members and conservative hardliners threatening to withhold their support over certain provisions. Eventually, after a meeting with President Trump and last-minute changes made by Republican leadership, the bill passed by a 215-214-1 vote. Every House Democrat voted no. Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Warren Davidson (R-OH) were the two Republicans who voted against the legislation. House Freedom Caucus Chair Andy Harris (R-MD.) voted present.

The legislation includes $3.8 trillion in tax cuts and cuts to Medicaid and SNAP coupled with the phase out of clean energy tax credits from the Inflation Reduction Act. These programs were cut in order to offset the impact of the extension of President Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill will result in $698 billion in cuts to Medicaid and $267 billion in cuts to SNAP.

Additionally, the bill makes significant changes to higher education legislation — particularly student borrowing. If signed into law, this package would cap lifetime borrowing for a student or their parents at $200,000 and eliminate entirely subsidized student loans and Grad PLUS loans. The bill also includes changes to Pell Grant eligibility, the creation of a risk-sharing program for universities, and would cap the availability of federal aid to the median cost of a specific program nationally.

The reconciliation package now heads to the Senate for consideration, where it will likely be significantly altered.  While reconciliation bills are not subject to the filibuster in the Senate, meaning only a simple majority is needed for passage, there are stricter rules around what can be included in the Senate. Furthermore, many Senators have expressed misgivings over many of the cuts made by House lawmakers.

 

 

 

House Ed & Workforce DEI Hearing

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The House Education & Workforce Subcommittee has announced the witnesses for Wednesday’s hearing, “Restoring Excellence: The Case Against DEI”

Witnesses Include:

  1. Mr. Dan Morenoff, Executive Director, American Civil Rights Project, Dallas, Texas
  2. Dr. Shaun Harper, Provost Professor of Education, Public Policy, and Business, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California
  3. Ms. Renu Mukherjee, Fellow, Manhattan Institute, New York, New York
  4. Dr. Kurt Miceli, Medical Director, Do No Harm, Glen Allen, Virginia