Category: What We’re Reading

Here is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week.

Courts Block Green Card Restrictions: Federal Judges in three states, including Washington, blocked an immigration rule which would have gone into effect on October 15th. The “public charge rule” would expand how public benefit usage is factored into permanent residency determinations.  Although “public policy charges” have been part of immigration law for over a century, the expanded rule would penalize applicants for using a much broader range of services. The nationwide injunction, issued by Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, determined the Department of Homeland Security acted outside its’ authority as delegated by Congress. Read more at NPR.

Congressman Elijah Cummings: Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD) passed away in hospital on Thursday, October 17th due to what was described as “longstanding health challenges”. Rep. Cummings was a highly regarded Congressman and powerful figure in the Democratic caucus, serving as Chair of the House Oversight Committee. He was in Congress for over twenty years. Read more at Politico.

EU/UK Brexit Deal: The EU and UK announced they have reached a deal on Brexit, which will now have to pass both the EU and UK parliament. Time is running out on Prime Minister Borris’ plan to leave the EU by October 31st. Read more at BBC.

Diplomatic Spat Over Death of UK Citizen: Relations between the US and UK have been strained after the wife of a US Official was involved in a fatal car accident in the UK.  While driving on the wrong side of the road, Anne Sacoolas struck and killed Harry Dunn, who was riding a motorcycle. Sacoolas, married to a US Official based in England, claimed diplomatic immunity and left the UK some weeks after the incident. The Dunn family has embarked on a campaign urging the US to extradite Sacoolas to face charges in the UK. President Trump supposedly attempted to set up a surprise meeting between the two families in the White House, further complicating the situation and offending the grieving family. Read more at Vox.

Senate Fails to Halt Border Emergency: Congress passed a measure,  S.J. Res. 54 (116), which would have stopped President Trump from diverting billions of dollars in federal funds to construct a border wall. However, President Trump vetoed the measure, sending it back to the Senate. The Senate was unable to override the veto by a 2/3 vote, meaning the border emergency declaration will remain in place. Read more at Politico.

Science Integrity Bill Moves Forward: H.R. 1709, a House bill which aims to protect science from political influence, has advanced after gaining enough bipartisan support in the Science Committee. Initially, there had been push back over how closely Federal agencies’ media policies would be regulated. Now that the bill has passed in the House Science Committee, it will move to the full House for a vote. Read more at Science Magazine.

Here is a selection of articles the Federal Relations team has read this week.

Impeachment Saga: UW Federal Relations continues to monitor the impeachment inquiry, especially as Congress prepares to return from recess next week. The Government is currently operating on a Continuing Resolution due to expire on November 21st, meaning appropriations are still an urgent concern. However, focus has primarily been on the whistleblower complaint against President Trump and his actions towards Ukraine. The White House is resolved not to cooperate, which will drag out the inquiry. For the latest updates, you can visit the Washington Post (or any other major news outlet, really).

NIH Examining Racial Bias in Grant Awards: A 2011 study by economist Dr. Donna Ginther revealed proposals authored by Black researchers were significantly less likely to receive NIH funding. Since then, NIH has been examining how this phenomenon occurs, although they have yet to produce solid answers. Some likely factors include that grant reviewers must be awardees, meaning if less Black applicants are awarded, less Black scholars will sit on the review boards. Additionally, the research suggested biases in favor of the topics which tended to be proposed by White researchers. You can read the full story at Science Magazine.

Middle East Studies Program Continues: The Duke-UNC Middle East Studies Consortium will continue to receive federal funding, after being ordered to revise its curriculum by the Department of Education. The Education Department accused the University of promoting a “positive view of Islam” and not including enough perspectives on Christianity and Judaism, leading to anti-Semitic bias. The Department did say, however, that they will continue to closely monitor Middle East studies programs throughout the country which receive federal funding. The full story is available from the Washington Post.

Ethiopian Prime Minister wins Nobel Peace Prize: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed of Ethiopia was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize today for his efforts restoring diplomatic relations with Eritrea after years of hostilities, improving Ethiopian civil society, and empowering women. Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea have been riddled with border conflict and ongoing tensions. Restoring diplomatic relations allows for families to reunite, and for greater cooperation between the neighbor countries on a variety of issues. Prime Minister Ahmed also lifted Ethiopia’s state of emergency, removed censorships on the media, and granted amnesty to thousands of political prisoners. Experts hope Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki will institute similar positive reforms, including reintroducing the Eritrean Constitution. Full story at the New York Times.

Turkey Begins Offensive in Syria: Despite global outcry, including bipartisan condemnation from the US, Turkey began its assault on Kurdish-controlled parts of northern Syria this week. Turkey considers the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which controls the area, to be a terrorist organization. Previously, US troops in Syria worked closely with the SDF in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS). However, President Trump has now withdrawn all US forces from Syria, allowing Turkey to move forward with an offensive against the SDF and Kurdish groups in the area. Many members of the international community are also concerned with what will happen to ISIS prisoners, who are being held in the area. Members of both parties have warned of serious national security implications, and have urged President Trump to take corrective action to protect Kurds in Syria. For the latest developments, visit BBC.

Here is a selection of articles we read this week.

Travel Ban’s Day in Court – The Supreme Court hears arguments Wednesday in a challenge to the Trump administration’s travel ban, the first major high court test of one of President Donald Trump’s signature campaign issues and a key piece of his tough-on-immigration efforts. Read more on Roll Call.

Endowment $$$ – The fight over the Republican tax bill passed last December is far in the rearview of most colleges and student groups. But a group of private colleges still has its sights set on overturning a new endowment tax passed as part of that bill over the objections of higher ed advocates. Read more from Inside Higher Ed.

WA’s $9B Problem – A new study released as a prelude to Sen. Patty Murray’s legislative effort to contain the opioid epidemic estimates the financial impacts of overdose deaths alone have cost Washington state $34 billion over the four years ending in 2016. Read more from Governing.

Peanuts & Crackerjacks – Baseball season is underway and this week, the House Republican baseball team returned to the practice field where one year ago Rep. Steve Scalise (R-LA) was shot during practice. And off the field, the scene appeared very different than it did before the shooting. At least 20 uniformed Capitol Police officers, a member of the K-9 unit and his German shepherd swept TV and cargo trucks and media bags. Other non-uniformed security kept watch along the outfield fences. Read more from Roll Call.

The Best Weed in America – In his TV appearance on “Real Time with Bill Maher” last Friday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee joked about the quality of his state’s bud. “I can honestly say we got the best weed in the United States of America,” he joked with the talk show host. “It’s a growing industry, and it’s well-regulated.” Watch the clip on Governing.

Here’s a selection of articles we read this week.

Doctor Shortage – The U.S. could see a shortage of up to 120,000 physicians by 2030, according to a report published Wednesday by the Association of American Medical Colleges. The association urged medical schools to train more physicians and use different strategies in doing so. It also encouraged the federal government to intervene with funding and legislation. Read more from Inside Higher Ed.

Trillion Dollar Debt – America’s deficit is rising sharply and will surpass $1 trillion per year by 2020, a gap that has grown since Congress cut taxes and increased spending, the Congressional Budget Office reported Monday. The federal deficit — the gap between how much the government takes in and how much it spends — will hit $804 billion in fiscal 2018, up 21 percent from 2017, the CBO said. Read more from the Washington Post.

Confucius Closing – The chancellor of the Texas A&M system said the university would terminate its agreement to host Confucius Institutes — centers for Chinese language teaching and cultural programming funded by the Chinese government — in response to the urging of two congressmen who described the institutes as threats to national security. Read more from Inside Higher Ed.

Ryan Out, Mic Drop – The race to succeed Paul Ryan as the leader of the House Republican conference is on, and the two most likely candidates are already loading up their campaign finance arsenals for what could turn into a slugfest for the job. A key to following Ryan is matching his fundraising prowess, and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., has a hefty advantage over his potential rival, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., after the first quarter of this year. Read more from CNBC.