The Office of Government Relations represents the interests of the University’s faculty, students and staff on matters of legislation and regulations before the federal government in Washington, D.C. By drawing upon the wealth of expertise and resources within the Duke community, we seek to inform and impact the conversation within the Washington, D.C. community.

The diversity of the issues affecting the University is as diverse as our community and academic endeavors. The Office of Government Relations tracks legislation regarding issues as wide-ranging as federal student aid programs; funding for scientific research; immigration policies; and technology transfer and intellectual property law.

The staff serves as a resource to both the communities on campus and in Washington, D.C. Should you require any assistance or have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact our office.

The Duke Digest-January 23, 2025

January 23, 2025

  • Four Early-Career Faculty Receive Top Award From White House
  • Preventing Childhood Hearing Loss Worldwide
  • Researchers in Biostatistics, Surgery Awarded $5 Million to Create Computational Models to Improve Flu Vaccines
  • And Much More…

The DC Digest-January 17, 2025

January 17, 2025

  • Speaker Johnson Wants Budget Blueprint Passed Before March
  • Biden-Harris Administration Announces Final Student Loan Forgiveness and Borrower Assistance Actions
  • Biden Admin Releases Final Update on FAFSA
  • New Guidance Released for Colleges and Third-Party Servicers
  • Cabinet Picks Senate Confirmation Hearings Updates
  • Post of the Week!

The Duke Digest-January 16, 2025

January 16, 2025

  • How Duke Research Seeks to Make Its Impact
  • HIV Vaccine Candidate Activates Crucial Immune Function
  • Bridging the Divide: Senators Maggie Hassan and Richard Burr Find Common Ground
  • And Much More…

The DC Digest-January 14, 2025

January 14, 2025

  • Biden Admin Forgives Student Loans of 150,000 Borrowers
  • Supreme Court to Examine Biden Borrower Defense Rule
  • Senate Confirmation Hearings Ongoing

The DC Digest-January 10, 2025

January 10, 2025

  • Trump Names Michael Kratsios as New OSTP Director
  • Federal Judge Vacates Biden’s Title IX Rule
  • Republican Leadership Releases House Antisemitism Report
  • Duke Government Relations 2024 Legislative Activity Summary
  • First Senate Confirmation Hearings Scheduled

Reviewing 2024 Legislative Activity

January 10, 2025

With 2024 and the 118th Congress behind us and the Biden administration leaving office soon, we are sharing an update on the state of Duke’s federal priorities and DC-based activities from the last half of 2024.

Let’s start with federal funding.

 Budget and Appropriations

Over the summer, there was initial progress on Fiscal Year 2025 (FY 25) appropriations bills. However, momentum stalled once Congress reconvened in September for a short work period before another recess through the election, forcing lawmakers to pass a stopgap funding measure for the current fiscal year through Dec. 20. After coming within hours of missing that deadline, Congress passed, and President Biden signed another continuing resolution to extend government funding through March 14.

Below is the current status of some of Duke’s appropriations priorities:

Research

Research security surrounding collaborations with countries of concern continued to be a focal point for Congress and the administration. In July, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published its long-awaited guidelines for institutions that receive over $50 million in federal R&D funding to protect research from theft or misappropriation. These institutions are required to enact research security programs that cover the following areas: research security training, foreign travel security, export control training and cybersecurity.

On the congressional side, the National Defense Authorization Act was again the primary vehicle for new legislative provisions related to research security. Of note, the compromise measure approved in December included language that prohibits Department of Defense (DOD) funding to an individual who has a research collaboration with a foreign institution DOD has determined to have engaged in problematic activities. Waivers may be granted if the work is deemed to be in the national security interest of the US.

In late December, the House Bipartisan Task Force on Artificial Intelligence released its long-awaited report. The document, which is a culmination of a nearly year-long effort of capturing stakeholder feedback, established a set of guiding principles, 66 key findings and over 80 recommendations for consideration to help secure the country’s leadership in artificial intelligence.

Higher Education and Student Aid

The Biden administration continued its push for student loan relief throughout the year, despite facing legal challenges. In total, the administration has enacted more than $166 billion in forgiveness for about 4.4 million borrowers, according to recent data from the U.S. Department of Education.

One of the main student aid focuses for the federal government this fall was the updated Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). After an initial rocky rollout in early 2023, the Department of Education took measures to improve the form for the next application cycle, including several rounds of beta testing. Congress eventually passed the FAFSA Deadline Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law. The new law aims to ensure a more consistent timeline for students and educational institutions, requiring the Department to make the FAFSA application available by Oct. 1 each year. Also impacted by the FAFSA rollout was the financial value transparency (FVT) and gainful employment (GE) reporting deadline, which was pushed back twice to January 2025. The Department delayed the deadline as mishaps with the new FAFSA rollout impacted the timeline higher education institutions had to issue financial aid packages.

Before year-end, the Department of Education finalized regulations requiring higher ed institutions to report data on students in distance education receiving federal aid, effective July 1, 2027. President Biden also withdrew two regulatory proposals that have received much scrutiny during his presidency for Title IX athletics policies and student debt forgiveness.

Immigration

In the year’s closing weeks, the Biden administration made several notable visa updates. The State Department updated the countries eligible for the exchange visa skills list. The update, the first since 2009, dropped China, India, and several other countries from the list of ineligible nations. International scholars and researchers from countries on the exchange eligible list may apply for a new work visa without first leaving the U.S. and returning to their home country.

The Department of Homeland Security recently finalized a rule to modernize the H-1B program. The modernization update is intended to streamline the approval process while providing greater flexibility to employers and oversight of the program.

Other Policy Engagement

This fall, the Duke community was quite busy actively engaging with policymakers in Washington, D.C., through a diverse set of programs and convenings. These activities drew expertise from all parts of the university, working to build purposeful partnerships with lawmakers, think tanks and policy professionals to elevate Duke’s presence and impact in D.C.

Here’s a brand-new video highlighting all the ways the Duke in DC office contributes to those types of engagement:

The Duke in DC office was the hub for many of these events, including a roundtable co-hosted with the Office of Representative Valerie Foushee (D-NC) and the Pratt School of Engineering. This discussion explored issues relevant to the House Bipartisan AI Taskforce, of which Congresswoman Foushee is a member, with a particular focus on AI open hardware, software, and infrastructure. Along with Congresswoman Foushee, key speakers included Elizabeth Kelly, director of the US AI Safety Institute, and Lee Tiedrich, a distinguished faculty fellow in ethical technology at Duke. The conversation addressed the need for responsible computing capacity deployment to foster AI competition and access, especially for historically underserved groups, while tackling AI systems’ environmental impacts.

Following two years of hosting successful summits on campus in North Carolina, the Veterans Transition Resource Lab brought the conversation and several years of learning directly to policymakers. Duke University is the only school in the United States to host a lab dedicated to research on enhancing military veteran transitions to the workforce. The lab works to provide unique insights in support of military veterans that can be derived from rigorous academic research.

Rounding out the year at the DC office was Bridging the Divide: A Discussion on Bipartisan Legislating with U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and former U.S. Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) in early December. The senators participated in an insightful conversation about health care policy and bipartisanship in today’s Congress. Sanford professor Kate Bundorf and interim dean Manoj Mohanan moderated the discussion on bipartisan achievements and opportunities in the world of health policy, touching on critical issues ranging from the opioid crisis to public health preparedness.

Several undergraduate students were able to travel up for the event and have a lunch roundtable with Senator Burr.

Other student engagement this year included over 60 incoming first-year students who attended the annual Project Citizen orientation trip to Washington, D.C. They participated in a speaker session with White House staff, toured the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and met with alumni at the Duke in DC office.

Students also visited Duke in DC this fall with the annual Kenan Institute’s FOCUS field trip. The experiential learning excursion is specifically designed for students enrolled in the “Focus” program, where they delve into a concentrated theme like ethics, leadership, or global citizenship.

What’s Next?

Keep an eye out for our next legislative update blog, which will focus on looking ahead to what’s next in the new administration and the 119th Congress.

To receive regular updates from our office, sign up for our DC Digest here.

The Duke Digest-January 9, 2025

January 9, 2025

  • Ingrid Daubechies Awarded National Medal of Science
  • Duke Alum David Rubenstein Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom
  • Liquid-Like Molecular Dynamics Power Solid Battery Materials
  • And Much More…

The DC Digest-January 7, 2025

January 7, 2025

  • U.S. Department of Education Releases Distance Education Reporting Final Rule
  • Biden Withdraws Policy Proposals
  • Mike Johnson Secures House Speakership

Research Spotlight

Duke Joins Quantum Systems Accelerator

Jungsang Kim, Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Kim Joins New National Quantum Advisory Committee