Skip to content
News and updates

News and updates

What We’re Reading this Week (January 11th-15th, 2021)

Posted on

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

Impeachment: President Trump became the first president to ever be impeached twice, when we was impeached by the House of Representatives for “incitement of insurrection”. He must now face a trial by the US Senate. Updates and a “whip count” (counting of support/opposition) of Senators is here.

Parler Sues Amazon: Social media site Parler sued Amazon after being removed from most major platforms. In a response, Amazon defended their decision to remove Parler, citing violent content. Read more here.

DC on Lockdown: Large parts of Washington, DC surrounding the Capitol have been closed off and are under strict security and National Guard watch following the violent events of January 6th, and in anticipation of the upcoming inauguration. Among the measures include the National Park Service closing the National Mall by request from the US Secret Service. More.

Arrests Continue: Several people from across the country have been arrested in connection with the violent attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Many were tracked down through social media. Updates here.

Biden Picks Continue: In addition to a slew of scientific appointments, President-elect Biden announced Janet McCabe will serve as Deputy EPA Administrator. McCabe is currently a professor at Indiana University School of Law and led the EPA’s Air Office under President Obama. More.

Census: The US Census Bureau has ceased efforts to compile tallies of undocumented immigrants, in a supposed effort by the White House to exclude them from Congressional apportionment. Historically, apportionment has always been done without regard to citizenship status. The order came from agency leadership in response to a Commerce Department Inspector General whistleblower complaint. Full story.

Biden Announces Top Scientific Positions

Posted on

President-elect Joe Biden has announced several key scientific positions in his administration.

Dr. Eric Lander will serve as Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy within the White House. Dr Lander is currently a professor at MIT. The President-elect also announced he will elevate the position to cabinet-level rank.

Dr. Francis Collins will continue serving as Director of the National Institutes of Health.

Several deputies were also announced. The full press release is available here.

Contours of Initial Biden COVID Relief Package Emerge

Posted on

The general contours of the COVID relief package being considered by the incoming Biden Administration are emerging. While we have not yet seen the details, it appears that the larger proposal, totaling approximately $2 trillion, includes $1,400 checks for those who are slated to receive $600 from the relief bill signed into law in December as well as $400 per week in unemployment benefits.

In addition, the Biden proposal seeks a total of $170 billion in education, the vast majority of which would go to K-12.  The plan would allocate $35 billion for public higher education and public and private HBCUs and other Minority Serving Institutions.  In addition, $5 billion would be directed to governors for use at their discretion.

The plan also calls for the reinstatement of emergency paid sick leave for employees that was created by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act in last spring but which expired at the end of 2020.  The Biden proposal would reimburse state and local governments for providing such paid leave.  On the child care front, the incoming administration calls for a $25 billion emergency stabilization fund.

With respect to vaccinations, the plan calls for $20 billion, which would be used to help coordinate efforts at various levels of government.

An outline of the package is available here.  We will provide additional information as further details continue to emerge.

SEVP Increases Oversight of OPT

Posted on

The Student Exchange and Visitor Program (SEVP) has announced the creation of a new unit dedicated to oversight of the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The unit will have a full-time mandate to review compliance matters involving wage, hours, and compensation within OPT, the OPT extension, and Curricular Practical Training (CPT). The unit will publish reports annually, with the first report scheduled on 07/31/21, and interface with Homeland Security Investigations to recommend investigations of employers and students.

Read more.

History Made: Trump Impeached for Second Time

Posted on

On a historic day during what many would call an unbelievable period of our national history, President Trump today became the only president to be impeached for a second time. Ultimately, he was impeached by a vote of 232 to 197, with 10 Republicans joining the Democrats.

The trial moves to the Senate, where the Republicans still control power until the two Democratic Senators from Georgia are sworn in.  It has been reported that Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has not ruled out voting to remove Trump.  When the Senate takes up the impeachment trial and whether there are any further developments on this quickly changing front still remain to be seen.

Read more about the developments here, here, here, and here.