Below is RAMC’s weekly Washington Wrap Up from Wednesday. Find out more about Wrap Up and other RAMC resources here.

April 23, 2025

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced additional political appointees.

ED’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) shared that it will be begin a series of reviews to provide information on ED’s programs and operations in light of its recent employee separations, which occurred through the Deferred Resignation Program, voluntary separation incentive payment, voluntary early retirement incentives and reduction in force actions.

ED clarified policy related to income-driven repayment (IDR) plans that could have affected married couples repaying student loans.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) shared an internal memo stating that the agency will be deprioritizing student loans amidst its other supervision and enforcement priorities. Additionally, media reports indicated that CFPB leadership initiated a move to place the bulk of its employees on administrative leave.

Education News Headlines
[Click on the link to read the article online]

No NIH Grants for Colleges With DEI Programs or Israel Boycotts [Inside Higher Ed]

Federal cuts are putting university finances at risk, S&P says [Higher Ed Dive]

More Than 200 Higher-Ed Leaders Decry Trump Administration’s ‘Unprecedented Government Overreach’ [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Did you default on your student loans? What to know as collections restart. [The Washington Post]

Education Department to Restart Debt Collection on Defaulted Student Loans [Inside Higher Ed]

University leaders unite to oppose Trump higher education policies [The Hill]

Harvard University sues Trump administration over federal funding threats [Higher Ed Dive]

Trump’s Funding Freezes Halt Medical Research, Deaf Education Training [Inside Higher Ed]

Healey says Harvard cuts are part of ‘outrageous’ plan to ‘silence critics’ [The Hill]

What We’ve Learned So Far From Tracking Student Visa Data [Inside Higher Ed]

College Uncovered: The Demographic Cliff [The Hechinger Report]

What to Know About Trump’s Strategy Targeting Colleges’ Grants and Contracts [Inside Higher Ed]

Will Harvard lose its ability to enroll foreign students? [Higher Ed Dive]

What Revoking Tax-Exempt Status Would Mean for Harvard – and the Rest of Higher Ed [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

3 Strategies for Improving Upward Transfer [Inside Higher Ed]

Can Universities Still Diversify Faculty Hiring Under Trump? [Inside Higher Ed]

Institute of Education Sciences cuts imperil high-quality research, lawsuits allege [Higher Ed Dive]

IRS asked to revoke Harvard’s tax-exempt status [The Hill]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor:

Senate Committee on Appropriations

Press Release: New: Trump Admin Withholding Nearly $1 Billion in Funding for Head Start—Crunching Centers Nationwide and Forcing Devastating Closure

House Committee on Education and Workforce

Press Release: Walberg, Owens Request Information Ahead of Antisemitism Hearing with College Presidents

Press Release: Chairman Walberg on ED’s Announcement to Resume Student Loan Repayments

Press Release: Government Watchdog Reports College Students Still Struggle to Access Health Coverage

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott Statement on Trump Directive to Pull Harvard’s Tax-Exempt Status

May 7: Full Committee Hearing: “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses”

Witnesses: Dr. Jeffrey Armstrong, President, California Polytechnic State University (San Luis Obispo); Dr. Wendy Raymond, President, Haverford College; Dr. Robert Manuel, President, DePaul University

2175 Rayburn

10:15 a.m. ET

U.S. Department of Education and the Administration

Presidential Memorandum: Extension of Hiring Freeze

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Extends the Hiring Freeze

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education to Begin Federal Student Loan Collections, Other Actions to Help Borrowers Get Back into Repayment

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Initiates Records Request from Harvard University After Discovering Inaccurate Foreign Financial Disclosures

Legislative Movement in Congress:

No legislative activity.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

DOL Comment Request: Survey of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum for the Research Support Services for Employment of Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum (REYAAS) Project. Comments due on or before April 23, 2025.

ED Notice: Intent To Receive Public Feedback for the Development of Proposed Regulations and Establish Negotiated Rulemaking Committee. Comments due on or before May 5, 2025.

ACF Comment Request: Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) Automated Function Checklist and Data Quality Plan. Comments due on or before May 23, 2025.

NSF Comment Request: Intent To Seek Approval To Establish an Information Collection. Comments due on or before May 30, 2025.

ED Grant Notice: Applications for New Awards; Opportunity Scholarship Program. Applications due on or before July 7, 2025.

ED Comment Request: Income Driven Repayment Plan Request for the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loans and Federal Family Education Loan Programs. Comments due on or before June 9, 2025.

ED Comment Request: Perkins Career and Technical Education Act State Plan Guide. Comments are due on or before June 9, 2025.

ED Comment Request: Consolidated Annual Report (CAR) for the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006. Comments are due on or before June 9, 2025.

NSF Grant Noice: Fire Science Innovations through Research and Education. Applications due on or before June 20, 2025.

DOD Grant Notice: Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Department of Defense Multidisciplinary Research Program of the University Research Initiative (MURI). Applications due on or before September 5, 2025.

NSF Grant Notice: Applied Mathematics. Applications due on or before November 17, 2025.

NSF Grant Notice: Facilitating Research at Predominantly Undergraduate Institutions. Applications accepted anytime.