RAMC Washington Wrap Up – September 4, 2026

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

ADMINISTRATION

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security published a proposed rule to establish a $103,265 fee for certain H-1B petitions. The rule exempts higher education institutions from the new fee.

ED released a proposed rule to amend the Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR), which governs the administration of Federal education grants awarded by ED.

The U.S. Under Secretary of Education, Nicholas Kent, announced an update on the launch of early access to the 2027-28 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

CONGRESS

The U.S. House of Representatives will return to session after the chamber’s August district work period on Monday, August 31. The U.S. Senate will return for legislative business on Monday, September 14.

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

Averting a Shutdown, Congress Punts Federal Spending Decisions to December [Education Week]

Commerce Scrubs Ban on Political Interference From Integrity Policy [Inside Higher Ed]

Undocumented Students Grapple With Loss of In-State Tuition [Inside Higher Ed]

Federal Judge Sides With Students Against Trump’s Deportation Policy [Inside Higher Ed]

As more colleges surpass $100,000 price tag, here’s the true cost [The Washington Post]

Inside Colleges’ Response to Trump’s First Compact [The Chronicle of Higher Education]

Are Scholarships Based on Country of Origin in Danger? [Inside Higher Ed]

Business, government and education leaders try to reinvent college from scratch [The Hechinger Report]
DOJ has sued 21 states over in-state tuition for undocumented students [The Washington Post]

ED Awards TRIO Grants to Hundreds of Colleges [Inside Higher Ed]

An ‘Influencer’ Degree? Colleges Bet on Content Creator Major, Critics Question Its Value [The 74]

How Accreditation Changes Could Impact Professional Licensure [Inside Higher Ed]

Tennessee Promise Boosts College Enrollment and Attainment, Data Shows [Inside Higher Ed]

Texas governor pushes for 3-year degree pathways [Higher Ed Dive]

Turning High School Credentials Into College Credit [Inside Higher Ed]

Here are the highest- and lowest-earning college degrees in California, according to new data [Los Angeles Times]
The HEA Group Report: “What Your Major is Worth in California”

Once Seen as a Sure Thing, Computer Science Has Lost 53,000 Majors [The Chronicle of Higher Education]
National Student Clearinghouse Research Center Report: “Final Spring Enrollment Trends 2026”

Ed. Dept. Would Have More Power to Cut Off Grants Under New Rules [Education Week]

Labor Department issues rules axing affirmative action requirements for contractors [Higher Ed Dive]

AI Tends to Mark Students’ Essays Higher Than Humans, Study Shows [Inside Higher Ed]

AI can complete ‘almost’ all written assignments for MIT undergrads, report says [Higher Ed Dive]
MIT Report: “MIT’s Ad Hoc Committee on AI Use in Teaching, Learning, and Research Training”

The Fight for Fair Funding at One Historically Black Land-Grant University [Inside Higher Ed]

Committee News and Schedule, Schedule for House and Senate Floor

House Committee on Education and Workforce
Press Release: Kiley Holds Hearing on State-Led Child Care Solutions

Press Release: Mackenzie to Hold Hearing on Cutting Red Tape for American Workers and Job Creators—Tomorrow 10:15

Press Release: ECESE Ranking Member Bonamici Remarks at Hearing on Child Care Crisis

Statements and Webcast from September 1 Subcommittee Hearing on “Supporting Working Families: State-Led Child Care Solutions”

September 2: Subcommittee Hearing on “Less Red Tape, More Opportunity: Unleashing American Workers and Job Creators”
Witnesses: Mr. Austen Bannan, Employment Policy Fellow, Americans for Prosperity (AFP); Ms. Elizabeth Milito, Executive Director, National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Small Business Legal Center; Ms. Rebecca L. Reindel, Director of Occupational Safety and Health, AFL-CIO; Mr. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, President, American Action Forum (AAF)
2175 Rayburn and via webcast.
10:15 a.m. ET

Senate Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Sen. Collins Statement on House Passage of Continuing Resolution

Press Release: Senator Murray on House Passage of CR

House Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Cole on Senate Amendments to H.R. 6500: “It Gives the Nation, and our Constituents, Certainty.”

Press Release: Cole Floor Remarks on the Senate Amendments to H.R. 6500, the Continuing Appropriations Act, 2027

Press Release: House Sends Bill to President Trump’s Desk, Averts Partisan October Shutdown

Press Release: DeLauro Statement on House Passage of Continuing Resolution

September 4: Subcommittee Field Hearing on “Industrial Base and Workforce Development for Skilled Trades”
Witnesses: The Honorable Michael Cadenzzi, Assistant Secretary of War, Industrial Base Policy; Eric Chewning, Executive Vice President, Maritime Systems and Corporate Strategy, Huntington Ingalls Industrie; and Dr. Michael Reed, President, Pennsylvania College of Technology
College of the Canyons and via webcast.
1:00 p.m. PT

House Committee on Rules
September 2: Full Committee Hearing on “Proposed Rules Changes for the 120^th Congress”
Witnesses: TBD
H-313, The Capitol and via webcast.
10:00 a.m. ET

House Committee on Ways and Means
Statements and Webcast from September 1 Subcommittee Hearing on “Welfare Reform at 30: Restoring the Promise of Work and Personal Responsibility in Federal Welfare Programs”

House Committee on Education and Workforce
Press Release: Kiley to Hold Hearing on State-Led Child Care Solutions—Tomorrow 10:15

House Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Field Hearing Advisory: Defense Subcommittee Examines Industrial Base and Workforce Development for Skilled Trades

House Majority Leader
Press Release: The Leader’s Floor Lookout: Week of August 31, 2026

Press Release: Committee Cliff Notes: Weekly Preview – Week of August 31, 2026

House Committee on Ways and Means
Press Release: Big, Beautiful Success Story: Republican Policies Push Manufacturing to Four-Year Highs

House Committee on Appropriations
Press Release: Recess Rewind: Inside FY27 Markups

House Committee on Education and Workforce
Press Release: Mackenzie Announces Hearing on Cutting Red Tape for American Workers and Job Creators

Press Release: Walberg, Mackenzie Seek Audit of Additional DOL Agencies Following Inspector General Findings

House Committee on Rules
Press Release: Hearing Announcement: Member Day Hearing on Proposed Rules Changes for the 120th Congress

Department of Education and the Administration

White House Press Release: Trump Delivers: 14 Recent Wins You May Have Missed

ED Blog: Testing in Real Time: How Early Feedback Is Building a Smoother 2027-28 FAFSA® Experience

Legislative Movement in Congress

H.R.6500 — Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2027
Sponsor: Smith, Jason [Rep.-R-MO-8] (Introduced 12/09/2025) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Ways and Means
Committee Report: H. Rept. 119-416
Latest Action: House – 09/01/2026 Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection

H.R.10203 — Improving Access to Higher Education Act
Sponsor: DeSaulnier, Mark [Rep.-D-CA-10] (Introduced 09/01/2026) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce
Latest Action: House – 09/01/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

H.R.10206 — To amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to terminate Federal student loan limits and restore the availability of Federal Direct PLUS Loans for graduate and professional students.
Sponsor: Figures, Shomari [Rep.-D-AL-2] (Introduced 09/01/2026) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce
Latest Action: House – 09/01/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

H.R.4795 — Protect Economic and Academic Freedom Act of 2026
Sponsor: Foxx, Virginia [Rep.-R-NC-5] (Introduced 07/29/2025) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce
Committee Report: H. Rept. 119-780
Latest Action: House – 08/31/2026 Rules Committee Resolution H. Res. 1499 Reported to House. Rule provides for consideration of H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436, H. Res. 1490 and H.R. 4795. The resolution provides for consideration of H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436, H.Res. 1490, and H.R. 4795 under a closed rule with one hour of general debate on each measure. The resolution provides for a motion to recommit on H.R. 1501, H.R. 9436, and H.R. 4795.

H.R.10192 — GRANT Reform Act of 2026
Sponsor: McClintock, Tom [Rep.-R-CA-5] (Introduced 08/31/2026) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Oversight and Government Reform
Latest Action: House – 08/31/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.

H.R.10200 — To amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 and title 5, United States Code, to allow employees to take, as additional leave, parental involvement leave to participate in or attend their childrens and grandchildrens educational and extracurricular activities, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Wilson, Frederica S. [Rep.-D-FL-24] (Introduced 08/31/2026) Cosponsors: (0)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce; Oversight and Government Reform; House Administration
Latest Action: House – 08/31/2026 Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, and House Administration, 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 committee concerned.

H.R.2555 — Freedom of Association in Higher Education Act of 2026
Sponsor: Houchin, Erin [Rep.-R-IN-9] (Introduced 04/01/2025) Cosponsors: (43)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce
Latest Action: House – 08/27/2026 Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 682.

H.R.10156 — To authorize workforce development innovation grants for the implementation, expansion, and evaluation of evidence-based workforce programs, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Harder, Josh [Rep.-D-CA-9] (Introduced 08/27/2026) Cosponsors: (1)
Committees: House – Education and Workforce
Latest Action: House – 08/27/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.

H.R.10173 — To amend the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 to reauthorize the research experiences for undergraduates program at the National Science Foundation, and for other purposes.
Sponsor: Rivas, Luz M. [Rep.-D-CA-29] (Introduced 08/27/2026) Cosponsors: (6)
Committees: House – Science, Space, and Technology
Latest Action: House – 08/27/2026 Referred to the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.
Press Release: Congresswoman Luz Rivas Introduces Bill to Expand Access to Undergraduate Research STEM Programs

Federal Education Training and Grant Opportunities, Notices

ED Comment Request: Federal Family Educational Loan Program (FFEL)-Administrative Requirements for States, Not-For-Profit Lenders, and Eligible Lenders Trustees. Comments due on or before September 30, 2026.

ED Comment Request: Educational Opportunity Centers Program (EOC) Annual Performance Report. Comments are due on or before September 28, 2026.

ED Comment Request: Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program Annual Performance Report. Comments are due on or before September 28, 2026.

ED Comment Request: Student Support Services Annual Performance Report. Comments are due on or before September 28, 2026.

ED Comment Request: Talent Search (TS) Annual Performance Report. Comments are due on or before September 28, 2026.

Today’s Federal Register.