House Appropriations Committee Releases FY 26 Subcommittee Allocations

This week, House Appropriations Chair Tom Cole (R-OK) released FY 26 House subcommittee allocations for the twelve appropriations bills. The allocations were approved 35 to 26 in a party line vote in the House Appropriations Committee yesterday. House appropriators are writing their bills to a nearly $1.6 trillion discretionary topline, with about $892.5 billion for defense and $705.6 billion for non-defense discretionary spending. The Labor-HHS bill’s allocation is $184.491 billion. 

The House’s proposed discretionary funding level is almost three percent below the FY 25 level passed in March. Defense spending is proposed to be level funded, and the proposed nondefense discretionary level would be nearly six percent below the FY 25 level, with proposed cuts of $44.7 billion. The House’s proposed level for nondefense discretionary spending is significantly higher than what the White House has called for, as President Trump’s FY 26 budget proposed a 23 percent cut to nondefense discretionary spending. 

The Labor-HHS bill was previously scheduled to be marked up in subcommittee on July 21 and in full committee on July 24, but the House cancelled one week of session earlier this month which pushed back the Committee’s work. The House Labor-HHS bill text is now expected to be released and taken up in early September, when Congress returns from August recess. The House Labor-HHS bill is tentatively set to be marked up in subcommittee on Thursday, September 4 and marked up in full committee on Tuesday, September 9. 

The Senate has not released its full subcommittee allocations, but is expected, like last year, to propose higher spending levels than the House. A Labor-HHS markup in the Senate Appropriations Committee has not been scheduled at this time.   

Congress Passes Budget Reconciliation Bill

On Thursday, the House passed the Senate-passed version of the budget reconciliation bill by a vote of 218-214, sending the Republican party-line package of domestic priorities to President Trump for his signature ahead of the July 4th holiday, meeting their latest self-imposed deadline. President Trump plans to hold a signing ceremony tomorrow. Two Republicans voted against the bill, Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). 

The Senate passed the package on Tuesday in a 51-50 vote, with Vice President JD Vance providing the tie-breaking vote. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted for the bill after receiving significant provisions for her state. Three Senate Republicans voted against the bill, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC). Tillis, who said he was voting against the bill because it would cause many of his constituents to lose Medicaid coverage, announced he would be retiring at the end of this term.

Ahead of the vote for final passage, House Republicans set a record for the longest House vote, holding open a procedural vote for 7 hours and 24 minutes. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also set a record for the longest House floor speech. Speaking for 8 hours and 44 minutes, Jeffries said the budget reconciliation package was an “all-out Republican assault on health care”. Regarding the bill’s impact on Medicaid, Jeffries said, “people will die. Tens of thousands, perhaps year after year after year as a result of the Republican assault on the healthcare of the American people. I'm sad. I never thought I would be on the House floor saying this is a crime scene."

The package, which extends the 2017 Trump tax cuts, would reduce revenues by $4.5 trillion and reduce spending by $1.2 trillion, adding $3.3 trillion in budget deficits over the next 10 years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The package would increase border security and defense spending. Changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act would result in roughly 11.8 million more uninsured people by 2034, according to the CBO, while SNAP funding would be cut by 20 percent. The debt limit would also be increased by $5 trillion. 

Workforce Pell was included in the Senate and House passed package. After the provision had been found by the Senate Parliamentarian to be in violation of the Byrd rule, the provision was revised to limit eligibility solely to Title IV accredited institutions, eliminating the previous expansion of eligibility for high-quality, workforce programs that met certain requirements. Other education provisions include endowment tax increases, accountability measures, and the streamlining of loan repayment plans, including the termination of the SAVE plans for new loans starting July 2026. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) discussed two more reconciliation bills this Congress. “You can do a reconciliation budget for each fiscal year [the reconciliation bill which passed this was for the FY 25 year]. So, the plan is to do one in the fall for the FY 26 budget year, and then we can also squeeze in a third one for FY 27 before this Congress is up.” 

An overview from Inside Higher Ed may be accessed here.

7/10/25 update : A bill summary from the American Council on Education (ACE) may be accessed here.

Department of Education Concludes Negotiated Rulemaking Session on Public Service Loan Forgiveness 

The Department of Education concluded its negotiated rulemaking session, with three days of negotiations on Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) this week. The Department’s aim is to ensure that employers in the PSLF program are not engaging in activities that a have a substantial illegal purpose, which could be interpreted as organizations that support undocumented immigrants, provide gender affirming care, support terrorism, have a pattern of violating state laws, and more. As negotiators did not reach a unanimous consensus, the Department of Education may write a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), expected in the coming months. After a public comment period, a final rule would follow. If that is published on or before November 1, 2025 then final rules can be implemented on July 1, 2026. A press release, and more details, from the Department of Education may be accessed here.

ASAHP Joins ACE Letter to Senate Leaders on Budget Reconciliation Bill

ASAHP joined the American Council on Education (ACE) and dozens of higher education associations in a letter to Senate leadership to express concerns regarding provisions contained in the Senate reconciliation titles proposed by the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) and Committee on Finance. The letter states concern that cuts to student aid will increase costs to students and erect barriers to developing the workforce, and that new and increased taxes on institutions of higher education will limit student aid and constrain research.

The letter may be accessed here.

House Committee Advances Accreditation Bills

The House Education and Workforce Committee held a full committee mark up on Wednesday, advancing seven bills, including two on accreditation, the Accreditation for College Excellence (ACE) Act of 2025, and the Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act. The ACE Act aims to prohibit accreditors from considering partisan, political, or ideological factors such as DEI or accessibility policies when evaluation institutions. The Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act, which was introduced five days before the mark up, would require accreditors to use measurable student achievement outcomes.

A Committee press release is here, more details, including a link to watch the markup, are here, and more details on the ACE Act are available here.

House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee Hearing on FY 26 HHS Budget Request

Today at 10am Eastern, the House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 26 HHS budget request, with testimony from HHS Secretary RFK, Jr.

The budget seeks $93.8 billion for HHS, a cut of about $33 billion over the FY 25 enacted level. The budget proposes the consolidation of several programs formerly administered by HRSA, representing a funding decrease of $1.732 billion. This includes a proposed $1 billion cut to health workforce programs, which includes the Title VII and Title VIII programs, targeting programs that provide scholarship and support for individuals to enter health professional careers. 

The Administration proposes to combine multiple HHS agencies, including the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and some programs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).

The budget proposal calls for elimination of a number of programs, to “align investments with the Administration’s priorities, streamline the bureaucracy, reset the proper balance between federal and state responsibilities, and save taxpayer funds.” This includes the proposed elimination of, previosuly within HRSA, “15 workforce programs including some Nursing workforce programs and Medical Student Education.”

In regards to behavioral health, “The budget also invests $129 million in Behavioral Health Workforce Development Programs, including Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, and the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. These programs train and place behavioral health providers in underserved communities. It expands the workforce, integrates behavioral health into primary care, and addresses the shortage of providers, particularly in rural areas where behavioral health services are often provided by primary care providers.”

The hearing may be viewed here.

House Education and Workforce Committee Schedules Markup on Accreditation Bills

The House Education and the Workforce Committee scheduled a full committee markup for Wednesday, June 15, at 10:15am Eastern. The Committee will consider seven bills, including two on accreditation, the Accreditation for College Excellence (ACE) Act of 2025, and the Accreditation Choice and Innovation Act.

Links to the legislation, and a link to watch the markup are available here. More details on the ACE Act are available here.

ASAHP Joins Letter to Senate Leaders on Budget Reconciliation Bill

ASAHP joined 56 national and state organizations in expressing concern with the higher education provisions in the House-passed budget reconciliation bill, specifically the impacts such cuts would have on health professions education and the future health care workforce. The letter urges the senate to preserve subsidized loans for undergraduates, retain the Grad PLUS Program, and increase the proposed aggregate limit for unsubsidized federal loans, which includes lifetime borrowing for both undergraduate and graduate education.

The letter may be accessed here.

Senate HELP Committee Releases its Budget Reconciliation Bill

On Wednesday, the Senate HELP Committee released its portion of the budget reconciliation package on Wednesday night. The bill text, section by section, and a one-page summary may be found here.

While the House Education and Workforce Committee’s portion of the bill finds $351 billion in savings over 10 years, Senate HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy’s (R-LA) staff said the Senate version of the bill includes about $300 billion in savings over 10 years. The Senate bill includes a number of differences from the House version and includes last drastic changes. The Senate version, unlike the House version, does not end subsidized loans for undergraduates. The Senate version also does not include the House’s Pell Grant provisions which would change the credit hours to be considered full-time and make students ineligible for Pell Grants if they are not enrolled at least half time. The Senate version does not eliminate the 90/10 rule and does not contain the House’s risk sharing provisions, but would instead condition student eligibility for loans based on the income of former students. The Senate version, like the House version, includes workforce Pell.

The Senate Finance Committee has not yet released its portion of the bill, which will include tax and health care provisions. Senate Leadership hopes to bring the budget reconciliation package to the floor the week of June 23rd, where just 51 votes are needed for passage. The Administration had been hoping to have a final package become law by July 4, though there are substantial differences between the House-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the Senate version of the budget reconciliation packages which will need to be reconciled.

The American Council on Education (ACE) has put together budget reconiciliation sumarries as pertains to higher education, here.

House FY 26 Committee Mark Ups Scheduled for July

On Wednesday, the House Appropriations Committee approved (https://appropriations.house.gov/news/press-releases/committee-approves-numerous-fy26-subcommittee-allocations) interim allocations for four of its twelve committees (Agriculture, Defense, Homeland Security, and Military Construction-VA). The House allocation for the Labor-H bill has not yet been released.

The House Subcommittee markup and Full Committee markup for the Labor-HHS bill has been scheduled, with a Subcommittee markup to be held on Monday, July 21 at 5pm Eastern and a Full Committee markup to be held on Thursday, July 24 at 10am Eastern.

Senate Appropriations Chair Susan Collins (R-ME) said that she did not anticipate a decision on a topline funding number in the chamber until after Congress has passed its budget reconciliation package.

More FY 26 Presidential Budget Request Details Released

This afternoon, the Trump Administration released additional FY 26 budget request details. The Administration proposes to combine multiple HHS agencies, including the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH), National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), and some programs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), into a new entity called the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA).

The budget proposal calls for elimination of a number of programs, to “align investments with the Administration’s priorities, streamline the bureaucracy, reset the proper balance between federal and state responsibilities, and save taxpayer funds.” This includes the proposed elimination of, previosuly within HRSA, “15 workforce programs including some Nursing workforce programs and Medical Student Education.”

In regards to behavioral health, “The budget also invests $129 million in Behavioral Health Workforce Development Programs, including Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program, the Addiction Medicine Fellowship Program, and the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Loan Repayment Program. These programs train and place behavioral health providers in underserved communities. It expands the workforce, integrates behavioral health into primary care, and addresses the shortage of providers, particularly in rural areas where behavioral health services are often provided by primary care providers.”

Yesterday, Russ Vought, the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), said the full budget proposal would be released after the budget reconciliation package has passed Congress.

The HHS FY 26 Budget in Brief may be accessed here, with other details here. The education budget summary and background information may be accessed here. TheFY 26 budget request appendix is here.

Congressional Budget Hearings for the Department of Education Announced

Two more congressional budget hearings on FY 26 budget for the Department of Education have been announced. On Tuesday, June 3, at 10am Eastern, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Labor-HHS Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 26 budget request for the Department of Education, with testimony from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon . The hearing may be viewed live here.

On Wednesday, June 4, at 10:15am Eastern, the House Education and the Workforce Committee will hold a hearing on the FY 26 budget request for the Department of Education, with testimony from Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. The hearing may be viewed live here.

On May 21, the House Appropriation Committee’s Labor-HHS Subcommittee held a hearing on the FY 26 budget request for the Department of Education. Our memo on that hearing may be accessed here.

Department of Defense to Cap Indirect Research Cost Rates

A Department of Defense memo signed by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth calls for the Department to implement a 15 percent indirect cost cap on awards to institutions of higher education. The Trump Administration is the fourth federal agency, after NIH, the Department of Energy, and NSF, that has enacted a plan to cap indirect cost rates at 15 percent, though the NSF plan is currently paused and the NIH and DOE plans have been blocked by federal judges.

Coverage from Inside Higher Ed is here. The May 14 Department of Defense memo is here.

Congressional Budget Hearings for the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services

On Wednesday, May 21 at 10am Eastern, the House Appropriation Committee’s Labor-HHS Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 26 budget request for the Department of Education. The hearing will be livestreamed here.

On Tuesday, May 20, at 10am Eastern, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s Labor-HHS Subcommittee will hold a hearing on the FY 26 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing will be livestreamed here.

On Wednesday, May 14, at 9:30am Eastern, the House Appropriations Committee’s Labor-HHS Subcommittee held a hearing on the FY 26 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services. The hearing was livestreamed here.

Department of Education Title IV Negotiated Rulemaking 

The Department of Education has announced its intention to establish a negotiated rulemaking committee to prepare prosed regulations for the Federal Student Aid programs authorized under title IV of the Higher Education Act (HEA). The Student Loans and Affordability Committee will address the following topics: 1. Refining definitions of a qualifying employer for the purposes of determining eligibility for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. 2. Revisiting family size, restructuring repayment plan provisions, including the alternative repayment plan, and certain other provisions of the July, 10, 2023 rule. The department is accepting nominations for negotiators, and the Committee will meet on June 30 to July 2. More details are here.

ASAHP 2025 Mentorship Program: Call for Mentees and Mentors

2025 ASAHP Mentorship Program

Deadline: June 3, 2025

We are pleased to open our 2024 Call for Mentors and Mentees application process. This will be the fifth year of the mentorship program. If you are interested in being a mentor or mentee, please submit fill out the respective applications by Tuesday, June 2. The official mentor/mentee program will be for one year. Contact Kristen Truong at kristen@asahp.org if you have any questions.
 

Call for Mentors

We are looking for experienced deans and senior administrators who each would be willing to serve as a 1:1 peer coach/mentor for
1) individuals in the role of Associate/Assistant Dean/Faculty positions at their institutions as they prepare to seek promotion opportunities, and
2) new Deans who would like to engage in coaching and/or mentorship to facilitate success in their new role.

Apply to be a Mentor

 

Call for Mentees

The mentee program is targeted at individuals who would like to engage in coaching and/or mentorship to facilitate their success in health professions administration in higher education. The call for mentees is open to all ASAHP members, regardless of academic rank.

Apply to be a Mentee

Executive Order Targets In-State Tuition for Undocumented Students

On Monday, April 28, President Trump issued an Executive Order titled, Protecting American Communities from Criminal Aliens. The Executive Order states that, “the Attorney General, in consultation with the Secretary of Homeland Security and appropriate agency heads, shall identify and take appropriate action to stop the enforcement of State and local laws, regulations, policies, and practices favoring aliens over any groups of American citizens that are unlawful, preempted by Federal law, or otherwise unenforceable, including State laws that provide in-State higher education tuition to aliens but not to out-of-State American citizens that may violate 8 U.S.C. 1623 or that favor aliens in criminal charges or sentencing.”

The Executive Order may be accessed here. An article from Inside Higher Ed on the EO may be accessed here.