NIH Budget; CDC Leader; NSF TIP
BU IN DC
Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Treasurer Nicole Tirella, Vice President & Chief Information Officer Chris Sedore, and Associate Vice President for Internal Audit & Advisory Services Marion Candrea attended the National Association of College and University Business Officers 2025 Annual Meeting from July 26th to 29th.
SENATE COMMITTEE APPROVES NIH INCREASE, HOLDS STUDENT AID STEADY
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a spending bill yesterday that would fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $48.7 billion in fiscal year 2026, an increase of 0.8% over the agency’s current funding level and a clear rejection of the Trump Administration’s proposed 40% cut. The bill also would prohibit the Administration from changing the NIH’s reimbursement model for facilities and administrative costs. In contrast to the President’s proposal to reduce Pell Grant awards by 23% and effectively eliminate the Federal Work Study program, the Committee’s approved bill recommends maintaining both programs at their fiscal year 2025 funding levels. The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to release its version of the bill in September. Both chambers will need to negotiate and pass a compromise measure before the legislation can be signed into law.
BUZZ BITS…
- Columbia University and Brown University both recently announced resolution agreements with the federal government that restore frozen federal funds and close pending investigations into the institutions’ compliance with federal civil rights laws. Columbia will pay the U.S. Treasury $200 million over three years and send $21 million to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Brown will make $50 million in payments to Rhode Island workforce development programs.
- The U.S. Senate confirmed Dr. Susan Monarez as the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday. Dr. Monarez was the deputy director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health during the Biden Administration and previously held positions in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and National Security Council.
- On Wednesday, the Department of Justice released a memorandum to federal agencies with guidance on determining what constitutes unlawful discrimination by federal grantees. The memo criticizes race-based scholarships and programs, hiring, and access to facilities. In April, federal courts rejected the Department of Education’s narrower guidance on racial discrimination.
GRANT NEWS YOU CAN USE
The National Science Foundation (NSF) Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) announced its new Translation to Practice (TTP) program. TTP aims to identify and support translational research; develop partnerships between higher education and industry, government, open-source ecosystems, and other entities; and advance STEM education and training for all Americans, particularly students and post-doctoral researchers. NSF anticipates it will issue more than two dozen awards, totaling $30 million in funding. The first submission deadline is September 16, 2025.
A NOTE TO OUR READERS
Beltway BUzz will temporarily pause publication during the Congressional District Work Period. Please visit our website, follow us on LinkedIn, or check the University’s Federal Actions page for updates.