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News and updates

NEH Turns 50

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The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) turns fifty today and is kicking off a year long celebration. Fifty years ago, on September 29, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 at a White House Rose Garden ceremony.

The law created the National Endowment for the Humanities as an independent federal agency, the first grand public investment in American culture. It identified the need for a national cultural agency that would preserve America’s rich history and cultural heritage, and encourage and support scholarship and innovation in history, archeology, philosophy, literature, and other humanities disciplines.

In the five decades since, NEH has made more than 63,000 grants totaling $5.3 billion, including leveraging an additional $2.5 billion in matching grants to bring the best humanities research, public programs, education, and preservation projects to the American people. Examples of NEH impact include funding that has led to the discovery of a lost Jamestown settlement fort, brought the scholarship of famed linguist Deborah Tannen to a broader audience, created the first museum exhibit of the now cultural icon King Tut, preserved the papers of ten presidents including George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, invested in the career of then relatively unknown documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, and thousands of other examples.

Go to 50.neh.gov to see highlights the top grant projects from NEH’s history.  Learn about the role NEH grants have played in:

 

Senate Advances Clean CR

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On Monday, the Senate took the first step toward approving a continuing resolution (CR) to fund federal government through December 11, 2015. They will take a final vote on the measure on Wednesday – the last day of the current fiscal year – and then send it to the House for consideration at before current budget authority expires Wednesday night at midnight.

Senators voted 77-19 in favor of limiting debate on an amendment containing the text of the so-called “clean” CR (HR 7190. The CR would fund federal agencies for 90 days and keep federal dollars for Planned Parenthood in place despite opposition from conservatives.

The House must pass the stopgap before the end of the day Wednesday in order to avert a shutdown and appears on track to do so with relatively little drama. Legislative obstacles in the chamber seemingly evaporated after Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced his retirement Friday.

The stopgap provides funding for federal agencies at an annualized rate of $1.017 trillion, which is roughly flat compared to current funding levels. The CR notably includes $700 million in emergency funding to suppress Western wildfires, flat funding for the non-capped war account, and a reauthorization of the E-Verify program and the Internet Tax Freedom Act.

The Obama administration said in a Statement of Administration Policy issued Monday night that it would support the CR.

Perkins Extension Passes House, Still In Danger

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The House has passed by voice vote, HR 3594, a measure which would extend the Perkins program for a year until it may be fully considered with the impending Higher Education Act reauthorization, which is expected this fall and spring. The Perkins program would expire on September 30th without the extension.

The Perkins program is a critical tool that allows UW to combine federal funds with additional investment by the university to offer needy students fixed, low interest loans. UW receives more Perkins loan volume than any other public institution in the nation — about 4,700 recipients in the 2013-14 school year for UW.

While the measure passed the House, the fate of the program is unclear in the Senate. Senate HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) has expressed a desire to let the program simply expire, which is in line with his ultimate goal of one loan, one form for higher education. Expiration would effectively kill the program.

Senate Democrats are working on passing the measure by Unanimous Consent, but it is unclear if the measure will be considered in time (i.e. today).

Boehner’s Retirement Means CR Likely to Pass

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With Speaker John Boehner’s (R-OH) surprise retirement announcement on Friday, the forecast for Congress to actually pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) and keep the federal government operating are better than ever. Last week, prior to Boehner’s announcement, the Senate failed to pass a CR because the legislation included language to withhold any federal funds going to Planned Parenthood. With the failure of that Senate bill, the path was cleared to have the Senate pass a “clean” CR, meaning a measure without political policy riders such as the Planned Parenthood language.

While something may pass the Senate, passing a clean measure in the House was always going to be more challenging given the Republican caucus. Many Republican House Members had declared that they would never vote for a measure that allowed Planned Parenthood access to federal funds.Conservative Republicans have demanded such a provision, but it has already failed in the Senate and the President has pledged to veto it.  Further, the same Members have vocally castigating the Speaker for “compromising” on legislation and working with the House Democratic caucus to craft a bill that would pass the House. Rhetoric prior to the retirement announcement was similar on the CR for potentially eliminating Planned Parenthood language.

Boehner stated shortly after his retirement announcement that he would ensure the House would pass a clean CR, which would fund the federal government until December 11th. Additionally, Boehner has said that he will rely on Democratic support to pass a CR in the House.

While Friday’s announcement may avert an immediate shutdown, what happens later this fall is far from clear. The threat of another funding funding cliff is more than likely, with the expiration date of the short-term CR potentially coinciding with the debt ceiling fight and the expiration of tax breaks. There’s also the highway bill, two major education bills, and reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration.

Congress has until midnight September 30th to pass an appropriations bill to keep the federal government running.

Meanwhile, Boehner’s retirement has set off a scramble for the House Republican Leadership positions, so who will land where, in what role, and how they will handle the ever polarized caucus remains to be seen.

What We’re Reading This Week, September 21-25

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Here’s a selection of articles the Federal Relations team is enjoying this week.

Rotunda Interior Restoration Work September 2015, Looking Up (AOC)
Rotunda Interior Restoration Work September 2015, Looking Up (AOC)

Bad Management – Congress faces another government shutdown on October 1st, and to Wall Street’s leading CEO, Jamie Dimon, it’s a simple case of bad management. Congress’s failure to fund the government, and embroil it with gridlock is damaging the US economy. See more at NBC’s Meet the Press.

Boehner Done – He had to wait for the Pope to finish addressing the United Nations, but the day after the Pope’s historic visit to Washington and address of Congress, House Speaker John Boehner has announced he is leaving from Congress as of October 30th. He will help fashion a deal with Congressional Democrats to continue to fund the federal government and then retire. Read more at the Washington Post. Also, this means there will not be a shutdown. Politico has a long form piece on the challenges Boehner has faced as speaker.

Understanding China – Chinese President Xi visits both Washingtons this week on his first official trip to the United States as president.  While relations with China have recently been strained, the trip will hopefully help relations on both sides as Chia make concessions on environmental issues. The Washington Post explains China in graphs.  Also, WaPo has a brief on what to expect from the visit.

Sexual Assault Survey – New numbers from AAU’s campus survey reveal that one in five women are sexually attacked while in college, while more than 1 in  and those assaults are massively underreported. Read more at the Huffington Post and the Washington Post.

College Cost$ – The need to reduce or eliminate college debt is a topic growing in momentum on Capitol Hill. It’s a sentiment echoed by Republicans and Democrats, but it is a complicated issue and topic. Rising college debt is being called the next financial crisis, but how do policy makers go about tackling it? Politico looks at eight innovative proposals.

Throwing Elbows – Ed Secretary Arne Duncan has been a vital ally to helping the Administration move their agenda forward. One of Obama’s closest friends has put a strong stamp on America’s educational system. But what will his legacy be? Read more at Politico. 

Mind the Gap – The gulf between rich and poor is growing and this divide is sharply seen in education. the achievement gaps between more affluent and less privileged children is wider than ever. Read more at the New York Times. 

Politico has every photo you need to see of Pope Francis while he was in DC.