Supreme Court Upholds Travel Ban
BU IN DC
Astraea Augsberger and Linda Sprague Martinez of the School of Social Work participated in a “Youth Engagement Strategies to Prepare Youth for Successful Adulthood” convening hosted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on June 28 and 29.
Kristen Goodell of the School of Medicine attended the National Association of Advisors for the Health Professions National Meeting between June 27 and July 1.
SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS TRAVEL BAN
By a vote of 5-4, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that the third iteration of the Trump Administration’s travel ban was constitutional. The ban prohibits visitors from seven countries from entering the United States, with limited exceptions. In an amicus brief submitted during the Trump v. Hawaii proceedings, universities had decried the ban as jeopardizing “the vital contributions made by foreign students, scholars, and faculty by telling the world in the starkest terms that America is no longer receptive to them.” Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited the impact on higher education as one reason for her dissent in the case.
POSITIVE SIGNS FOR NIH BUDGET
The Congressional committees responsible for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget recently passed spending bills which would increase the agency’s budget even further beyond the $3 billion increase signed into law in March. A bill passed by the Senate Appropriations Committee yesterday proposes a $2 billion increase in fiscal year 2019, while a bill passed by a House subcommittee recommends a $1.25 billion increase. A final budget for the agency will be determined once the measures make their way through the full Congressional approval process, which is likely to extend past the November election. The outlook is positive for a fourth straight year of increased funding for the agency, which is currently funded at $37 billion.
BUZZ BITS…
- On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives defeated a bill (H.R. 4760) which would have provided legal status to undocumented young people who were left in legal limbo following the rescission of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program last fall.
- Alumna Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (CAS ’11) caught Washington’s attention by defeating incumbent Congressman Joe Crowley in the Democratic primary in New York’s 14th Congressional District on Tuesday, a significant upset of a member of the House Democratic leadership.
- The White House issued a strategic plan to better respond to near-Earth objects, such as asteroids, possibly striking the planet. The plan calls for new technology to better track and potentially destroy any object that poses a threat.
A NOTE TO OUR READERS… With Congress headed home for the Independence Day District Work Period, Beltway BUzz will not publish next week. Enjoy your Fourth of July! 🇺🇸