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

April 30, 2025

CONGRESS

Committee Chair Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee Chair Burgess Owens (R-UT) sent letters to the three college leaders who will be witnesses at the upcoming hearing titled “Beyond the Ivy League: Stopping the Spread of Antisemitism on American Campuses.”

A group of 42 Democrat Senators wrote a letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy expressing their opposition to the actions the Trump Administration has taken with regards to Head Start.

ADMINISTRATION

President Trump released an Executive Order titled “Restoring Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy.”

President Trump released an Executive Order titled “Preparing Americans for High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future.”

President Trump released an Executive Order titled “White House Initiative to Promote Excellence and Innovation at Historically Black Colleges and Universities.”

President Trump released an Executive Order titled “Reforming Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education.”

President Trump released an Executive Order titled “Transparency Regarding Foreign

Influence at American Universities.”

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that its Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA) will resume collections of defaulted Federal student loans on May 5 and that a more streamlined income-driven repayment (IDR) enrollment and recertification process will be coming soon.

Secretary of Education Linda McMahon directed the Office of General Counsel (OGC) to re-assume the Department’s enforcement functions relating to the disclosures of foreign gifts and contracts under Section 117 of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. § 1011f). Under the Biden Administration, enforcement responsibilities were shifted from OGC to FSA.

Media outlets report that the Trump Administration has restored the legal status of international students studying in the U.S. who had their records terminated in recent weeks.

COURTS

Federal District Court Judges in New Hampshire, Maryland and the District of Columbia halted the implementation of several aspects of the Administration’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion guidance and certification requirements.

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

House education committee advances sweeping higher ed bill [Inside Higher Ed]

Trump’s 100-Day War on Higher Ed [Inside Higher Ed]

Supreme Court to decide fate of nation’s first religious charter school [The Hill]

These NIH Grants Were Terminated. Now They’re Back. [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

House Bill Calls for Risk-Sharing, Sweeping Changes to Student Loan Program [Inside Higher Ed]

Trump administration launches Title VI investigation into Harvard, Harvard Law Review [The Hill]

‘It’s Punishment for the Sake of Punishment’ [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Generative AI skills bring nearly 50% salary bump: Indeed [Higher Ed Dive]

Court ruling further complicates Trump’s anti-DEI push [The Hill]

How a Trump administration crackdown on foreign students unraveled [Politico]

After Federal Grant Losses, HBCUs Put Hope in Executive Order [Inside Higher Ed]

White House declares goal to reach 1M new apprentices per year [Higher Ed Dive]

Accreditors Sound Off on Executive Order [Inside Higher Ed]

Colleges Turn to AI to Fix the Disjointed Student-Transfer Process [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Columbia University vows to remove any future encampments [Higher Ed Dive]

ICE arrested Columbia protester without a warrant, court documents show [The Washington Post]

Trump orders changes to civil rights rules, college accreditation [The Washington Post]

NIH prohibits new grant awards to colleges with DEI initiatives [Higher Ed Dive]

Trump’s Executive Order Bashes Accreditors, Blames DEI for Low Standards and Poor Outcomes [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Beyond ‘Prestige’: New Carnegie Classification Focuses on Student Success [Inside Higher Ed]

Big Ten university faculties push for defense compact against Trump accreditation [The Washington Post]

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

Senate Minority Leader

Press Release: With American Education Institutions Under Attack, Schumer, Blumenthal, Schatz, Rosen, And Schiff Demand President Trump Finally End Weaponization Of Antisemitism And Protect Students On Campuses Across The Country

Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Press Release: Senate HELP Committee to Vote on Bills to Combat Antisemitism on College Campuses

Press Release: Sanders, Jayapal, Dingell to Introduce Medicare for All

April 30: Full Committee Executive Session on S. 588 and S. 163

430 Dirksen and via webcast

10:00 a.m. ET

Senate Committee on Appropriations

Press Release: In Response to Questioning by Sen. Murray, Top Watchdog Says It’s Opened 39 Impoundment Investigations

Press Release: NEW: 100 Days In, Trump is Blocking At Least $430 Billion Dollars in Funding Owed to American People

Press Release: Murray, Sanders, Baldwin Blast Trump Admin’s Attacks on Head Start, Demand RFK Jr. Immediately Release Funding and Reverse Firings

House Committee on Education and Workforce

Press Release: Committee Republicans Bend the Knee, Vote to Slash Education to Pay for Tax Cuts for the Rich

Press Release: Ranking Member Scott Slams Republicans’ Disastrous Plan to Raise Student Loan Payments to Pay for Tax Cuts for the Rich

Press Release: Chairman Walberg Praises Trump Executive Orders Addressing Problems in K-12, Postsecondary Education

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

White House Executive Order: Restoring Equality Of Opportunity And Meritocracy

White House Executive Order: Preparing Americans For High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs Of The Future

White House Executive Order: White House Initiative To Promote Excellence And Innovation At Historically Black Colleges And Universities

White House Executive Order: Reforming Accreditation To Strengthen Higher Education

White House Executive Order: Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence At American Universities

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Signs Landmark Order to Restore Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Modernizes American Workforce Programs for the High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs of the Future

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Promotes Excellence and Innovation at HBCUs

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Reforms Accreditation to Strengthen Higher Education

White House Press Release: Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Demands Transparency Regarding Foreign Influence at American Universities

White House Press Release: ICYMI: Celebrating President Trump’s Incredible First 100 Days

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education Returns Section 117 Foreign Funding Enforcement to Office of General Counsel, Announces Investigation into UC Berkeley

ED Press Release: Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism Statement Regarding Yale’s Actions

ED Press Release: Secretary of Education Statements on President Trump’s Education Executive Orders

ED Press Release: ED, HHS Launch Title VI Investigations of Harvard University and Harvard Law Review Amid Allegations of Discriminatory Practices

ED Press Release: U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights Finds the University of Pennsylvania Has Violated Title IX

HHS Press Release: ED, HHS Launch Title VI Investigations of Harvard University and Harvard Law Review Amid Allegations of Discriminatory Practices

HHS Press Release: ACF Improves Educational Freedom and Opportunities for Families

DOL Press Release: Secretary Chavez-DeRemer praises President Trump’s Executive Order aimed at expanding apprenticeships, modernizing workforce development

HHS Press Release: Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism Statement Regarding Yale’s Actions

Legislative Movement in Congress:

H.R.3000 — To address the worsening long-term care workforce crisis and increase access to and affordability of long-term care.

Sponsor: Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [Rep.-R-PA-1] (Introduced 04/24/2025) Cosponsors: (1)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce; Energy and Commerce

Latest Action: House – 04/24/2025 Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committees concerned.

H.Res.237 — Of inquiry requesting the President and directing the Secretary of Education to transmit, respectively, certain documents to the House of Representatives relating to the reduction in force and other downsizing measures at the Department of Education.

Sponsor: Scott, Robert C. “Bobby” [Rep.-D-VA-3] (Introduced 03/21/2025) Cosponsors: (15)

Committees: House – Education and Workforce

Latest Action: House – 04/29/2025 Placed on the House Calendar, Calendar No. 25.

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices:

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.

ACF Comment Request: Child Care and Development Fund Quarterly Case-Level Report. Comments due on or before May 29, 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.

ACF Comment Request: Formative Data Collections for ACF Program Support.  Comments due on or before June  27, 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.

Presidential Documents: Equality of Opportunity and Meritocracy; Restoration Efforts (EO 14281)

Presidential Documents: Foreign Influence at U.S. Universities; Transparency Improvements (EO 14282)

Presidential Documents: Higher Education Accreditation; Reform and Strengthening Efforts (EO 14279)

Presidential Documents: High-Paying Skilled Trade Jobs; Preparation Efforts (EO 14278)

Presidential Documents: Historically Black Colleges and Universities, White House Initiative To Promote Excellence and Innovation at; Establishment (EO 14283)