There has been a flurry of activity in just one month of the Biden administration and 117th Congress. In his first few weeks in office, President Biden has already ordered a significant number of executive actions and laid out many of his legislative plans, several of which directly impact Duke. At the same time, the new Congress has brought about a handful of changeups on House and Senate committees.
Duke’s Office of Government Relations has created new and updated pages on its website that keep track of all executive orders, regulations and cabinet-level appointments relevant to Duke, as well as letters and statements from Duke and Duke-affiliated associations and updated info on the North Carolina delegation and the 117th Congress.
The Chronicle of Higher Education also provides regular updates on new developments in higher education in the early days of the Biden-Harris administration.
Biden-Harris Administration: Executive Orders and Appointments
The President passed several key executive orders in just his first few days in the White House alone. Another one of Biden’s first actions was to issue a regulatory freeze and review on all existing federal agency regulatory activity from the prior administration. A regulatory freeze is often requested by a newly installed President who seeks to ensure that the rules taking effect during their term reflect their administration’s priorities.
Over the last few weeks, Biden has also named the vast majority of his selections for cabinet-level positions and federal research agency leads in his administration. For a comprehensive list of administration positions and the status of nominations and confirmations, you can visit our website here.
COVID-19
Congress successfully passed the 2021 budget resolution on February 5th, which is the vehicle to complete the budget reconciliation process and by extension, pass another COVID-19 relief package. President Biden has proposed a COVID-19 stimulus package that totals $1.9 trillion. Of this amount, $600 million will be provided to the National Science Foundation to fund new or extend existing projects to prevent, prepare or respond to COVID-19, 150 million for the National Institute of Standards and Technology, $135 million for the National Endowment for the Humanities and $35 billion for the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF),
Members of Congress also reintroduced the Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act. The RISE Act, which was co-led by Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and also originally signed by North Carolina Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC), David Rouzer (R-NC) and Deborah Ross (D-NC), would authorize emergency funding to the federal research agencies to mitigate impacts of COVID-19 to the research enterprise. Duke is an original endorser of the RISE Act.
Research
For the first time in history, the Presidential Science Advisor is a Cabinet-level position. President Biden appointed Eric Lander to this position, who is also nominated to be the director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). President Biden also created a new position at OSTP, deputy director for science and society, which has been filled by sociologist Alondra Nelson.
On January 27th, the President issued a memorandum, Restoring Trust in Government Through Scientific Integrity and Evidence-Based Policymaking, which outlines the priorities of the Biden administration on research and science. The memo emphasizes the administration’s goals to make evidence-based decisions and also creates a Task Force on Scientific Integrity.
In Congress, North Carolina’s newly-elected member Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC) has been selected to serve on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer recently announced his intent to introduce a legislative package to “outcompete China.” Core to this proposal will be a revamped Endless Frontiers Act, which would create a new Technology Directorate at the newly renamed National Science and Technology Foundation and provide substantial investments in key technological areas like artificial intelligence, quantum and advanced manufacturing.
Climate
President Biden has made a number of executive actions related to climate during the first few weeks of his administration, including the creation of the Climate Innovation Working Group, which is part of the National Climate Task Force, and calling for the creation of an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Climate (ARPA-C). The Climate Innovation Working Group will coordinate federal government-wide activities for climate innovation and, as one example of this work, the Department of Energy announced a $100 million investment through the Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to support transformational low-carbon energy technologies.
Higher Ed
Biden has stated that a priority of his administration will be on student loan debt relief. In his first few days, the President requested that the Department of Education extend its pause on federal student loan borrowers’ repayment and interest through October 2021, in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite pressure from Democrats in Congress, the Biden White House has signaled their reluctance to write-off student loan debt through executive action, instead preferring Congress to act. Along the lines of affordability, Duke and several higher education associations are advocating for a doubling of the maximum Pell grant; a request that is in-line with a Biden campaign proposal.
In Congress, Sen. Richard Burr (R-NC) was selected to serve as Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, following the retirement of former committee chair Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-TN).
Immigration
The President has issued numerous orders around immigration including ending family separations at the border, a reversal of the Trump administration’s Muslim ban, a reversal of the public charge rule, a reversal of a Trump administration rule that would seek to raise the admissions cap.
On February 18th, the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, which seeks to create a path to citizenship for immigrants and prioritize visas with the highest paying jobs, was introduced by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Representative Linda Sanchez (D-CA).
The legislation builds on President Joe Biden’s efforts mentioned above and would strengthen the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, remove per-country caps that prevent residents of any single country from getting more than 7 percent of the total number of employment-based green cards and also create a pilot program setting aside 10,000 visas for immigrants whose employment is deemed “essential” to economic development in the areas they will settle. Under the legislation, American universities would be better able to retain and recruit talent in scientific research.
There are several other higher education specific provisions included, but this bill will be the start of a long process and passage remains uncertain.
However, the speed of action and prioritization of immigration reform could change depending on the outcome of a current challenge to DACA by several states, led by Texas. A federal judge is expected to rule in the coming weeks.
Science & Security & Foreign Influence
Congressional proposals to address issues related to foreign influence in the nation’s research enterprise and higher education have arisen early in the 117th Congress. Several bills that languished at the end of the 116th Congress have been reintroduced, and several amendments scrutinizing various ties to China were proposed during both House and Senate consideration of the budget resolution.
By Lizzie Devitt, posted on 3/5/21