blog posts

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 12.6.2013

  Dec 6, 2013 3:00 pm1 views

  Upon returning from the Thanksgiving recess, the chairs of the House and Senate Budget committees, Rep. Paul Ryan and Sen. Patty Murray, resumed discussions over spending levels and sequestration...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 1.29.2016

  Jan 29, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  Although this week was a bit quieter due to the aftermath of last weekend's major snow storm, the past few weeks have been busy here in DC with the kick off of the 2nd session of the 114th Congress and activity prompted by the President's State of the Union Address...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 1.30.2015

  Jan 30, 2015 4:30 pm3 views

  The Senate passed legislation to advance the Keystone XL pipeline after three weeks of debate, while House Republicans continued their rocky start by pulling an immigration bill from the Floor. Homeland security and immigration funding expires in one month...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 1.30.2018

  Jan 30, 2018 4:15 pm0 views

  The federal government briefly shut down after funding for fiscal year 2018 (FY18) ran out at midnight on Friday, January 19...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 1.31.2014

  Jan 31, 2014 3:15 pm0 views

  On Wednesday, the House approved the farm bill conference report by a vote of 251-166...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 1.9.2015

  Jan 9, 2015 4:00 pm2 views

  The 114th Congress has officially kicked off! The week was dominated by swearing-in events, but there is already a lot of legislative activity underway, with the House authorizing the Keystone Pipeline and tweaking the Affordable Care Act...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 1.9.2017

  Jan 9, 2017 3:00 pm0 views

  University of Illinois President Tim Killeen and Urbana-Champaign Chancellor Robert Jones started off 2017 in Washington, D.C., traveling to the nation's capital early last week to welcome new and returning members of Congress during Congressional swearing-in activities..

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 2.13.2015

  Feb 13, 2015 4:30 pm3 views

  UI President-designate Tim Killeen returned to Washington this week for more engagement with our delegation and big thinkers.

  With Homeland Security funding expiring soon, congressional Republicans appear no closer to finding an endgame with both chambers...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 2.14.2014

  Feb 14, 2014 3:15 pm2 views

  Congress lifted the debt ceiling this week with a very close vote in the House but no strings attached, signaling a potential cease fire in the budgetary wars that have gripped Washington the past three years...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 2.21.2014

  Feb 21, 2014 3:15 pm4 views

  Both the House and the Senate had district work periods this week, but will be in session next week...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 2.27.2015

  Feb 27, 2015 3:15 pm1 views

  Fallout from President Obama's immigration action casts a long shadow over DC this week. As the final seconds tick away on both the work week and Homeland Security funding, the House and Senate have so far not been unable to identify a compromise to keep the agency funded. The Senate passed a clean bill that would keep funding secure through September, while the House has proposed, but so far not passed, a continuing resolution for a few more weeks...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 2.28.2014

  Feb 28, 2014 3:15 pm7 views

  This past Wednesday, House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp introduced a discussion draft with the intention to have it lay the foundation for future comprehensive tax reform legislation...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 2.6.2015

  Feb 6, 2015 4:30 pm2 views

  The President released his much anticipated budget this week, while UIC's next Chancellor made his Washington debut.House Republicans voted again to repeal Obamacare, while Senate Republicans struggled to undo President Obama's executive actions on immigration ahead of a key deadline...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 2.6.2017

  Feb 6, 2017 3:00 pm0 views

  Attention and debate last week centered around two primary topics — President Trump's recent executive order on immigration and Cabinet confirmations. Discussions surrounding both of these topics will spill into this week...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 2.7.2014

  Feb 7, 2014 3:15 pm2 views

  Following last week's passage in the House, the farm bill conference report was taken up early this week by the Senate...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.13.2015

  Mar 13, 2015 3:15 pm1 views

  With several Member submission deadlines for appropriations right around the corner, Congressional offices are now in the process of reviewing external programmatic requests. Meanwhile, House and Senate Republicans are putting final touches on their fiscal year 2016 budget resolutions, which are expected to be unveiled and marked up by budget committees next week. Majority leadership in both chambers intend to bring the budget blueprints to their respective floors the last week of March before adjourning for a two-week Easter and Passover recess...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.13.2017

  Mar 13, 2017 3:00 pm0 views

  Numerous University of Illinois leaders descended on Washington, D.C. last week for meetings on Capitol Hill and with key federal agencies.

  The Illinois congressional delegation—particularly Rep. Rodney Davis—devoted significant time and attention to the U of I ambassadors who were in town to advocate and strengthen partnerships...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.14.2014

  Mar 14, 2014 3:15 pm3 views

  This week, OGR submitted the University of Illinois' Fiscal Year 2015 programmatic requests to the Illinois Congressional delegation...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.16.2018

  Mar 16, 2018 4:15 pm0 views

  While Congress continues to work on a final appropriations bill for fiscal year (FY) 2018, the appropriations process for FY2019 has already begun...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.17.2017

  Mar 17, 2017 11:00 am0 views

  The Trump Administration released its budget blueprint for fiscal year (FY) 2018 on Thursday. The so-called "skinny" budget proposal provides broad, preliminary funding proposals for Cabinet-level departments and several other major agencies. Although it mostly provides top-line numbers, the blueprint provides an initial preview of the new Administration's priorities for federal programs...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.18.2016

  Mar 15, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  As Congressional committees continued holding budget hearings, more top officials from federal agencies made their way to the Hill this week to testify before Members of Congress about their respective budgets...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 3.20.2015

  Mar 20, 2015 3:15 pm2 views

  Although all the action was at the committee level, the focus this week in Congress revolved around the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 budgets introduced by House and Senate Republican...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.21.2014

  Mar 21, 2014 3:30 pm0 views

  Both the House and the Senate were on recess this week. The House returns on Monday...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.27.2015

  Mar 27, 2015 3:15 pm1 views

  Before heading into a two-week Easter and Passover recess, Congress tackled two significant items: Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 budget resolutions and a Medicare "Doc Fix"...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.28.2014

  Mar 28, 2014 3:30 pm2 views

  The House passed a one-year delay to the “sustainable growth rate” (SGR)—the rate at which Medicare reimburses physicians, averting a 24 percent cut to doctors...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.4.2016

  Mar 4, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  We're now in the thick of appropriations season. Both on the House and Senate side, committees held budget hearings this week to gear up for Fiscal Year 2017...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 3.6.2015

  Mar 6, 2015 3:15 pm2 views

  After months of Republican infighting, funding for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is finally on solid ground. Before adjourning early to beat a snowstorm, the House approved a nine-month DHS appropriations bill without attaching any conditions to block the President's executive actions on immigration. Now that this stalemate is over, Congress can turn to other items, such as budget resolutions, appropriations, and addressing the Medicare Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR)...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 3.7.2014

  Mar 7, 2014 3:15 pm0 views

  President Barack Obama released his preliminary budget request on Tuesday...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 4.10.2015

  Apr 10, 2015 3:15 pm1 views

  With Congress in recess these past two weeks, the University of Illinois seized several significant opportunities to interact with members of the Illinois Congressional delegation...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.11.2014

  Apr 11, 2014 3:30 pm1 views

  The House narrowly approved Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan's FY 2015 budget resolution along highly partisan lines...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.15.2016

  Apr 15, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  Things are in full swing this spring—the past few weeks have involved a successful alumni association board meeting in DC, advocacy on the Hill, a campus visit by DHS dignitaries, and positive grant news. Meanwhile, federal appropriations bills are inching along...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.18.2014

  Apr 18, 2014 3:30 pm8 views

  The House and Senate were not in session this week. Both chambers will be in recess again next week...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.25.2014

  Apr 25, 2014 3:30 pm0 views

  Both the Senate and House were in recess this week and will return to session on Monday...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 4.27.2015

  Apr 27, 2015 3:15 pm3 views

  Last week, Vice President Joe Biden visited the Urbana campus to highlight student leadership surrounding the "It's on Us" campaign. In the nation's capital, the House moved forward on legislation to reauthorize the America COMPETES Act...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.29.2016

  Apr 29, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  In this week's edition, efforts to enact campus sexual assault legislation are revived, UIC advocates for NSF on the Hill, and Rep. Hultgren visits Urbana's College of Engineering...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.4.2014

  Apr 4, 2014 3:30 pm0 views

  Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) announced she will hold a hearing on innovation and budget cuts on April 29...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.4.2016

  Apr 4, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  Although there has been little movement lately on appropriations, there have been some positive developments relating to regulatory relief for institutions of higher education...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 4.7.2017

  Apr 7, 2017 4:00 pm0 views

  After a relatively light legislative week, Congress will adjourn today for a two-week recess. Once members return the week of April 24, they will have a pressing item on their plate — they will need to pass a Continuing Resolution (CR) for the remaining five months of FY 2017 since the current CR is set to expire on April 28...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 5.1.2015

  May 1, 2015 3:15 pm2 views

  There was a lot of contention on Capitol Hill this week, between partisan debates surrounding appropriations bills in the House and Senate consideration of an Iran nuclear agreement oversight bill. On a more bipartisan note, the 21st Century Cures initiative took a big step forward...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.16.2014

  May 16, 2014 3:45 pm1 views

  Next week, the Senate is expected to continue its consideration of a tax extenders bill, which contains the deduction for tuition and fees, IRA charitable rollover, and the research and development tax credit...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.19.2017

  May 19, 2017 4:00 pm0 views

  Both the House and Senate were in session this week. While the chapter for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 appropriations has finally closed, much work remains for FY 2018 appropriations, and very little time...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.2.2014

  May 2, 2014 3:30 pm0 views

  This week, a House Appropriations subcommittee pleased the university community with an opening mark of $7.4 billion for the National Science Foundation (NSF)...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 5.22.2015

  May 22, 2015 3:30 pm1 views

  After wrestling with appropriations, authorization bills, and other measures over the past couple of weeks, Congress has adjourned for its Memorial Day recess. Both the House and the Senate will reconvene on June 1...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.23.2014

  May 23, 2014 3:45 pm1 views

  Next week, the Senate is out for a district work period. The House is in and will consider an NSF spending bill, as well as other matters...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.26.2017

  May 26, 2017 4:00 pm0 views

  The Trump Administration released its Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 budget request on Tuesday. As expected, the request proposes a number of cuts to programs and accounts that are important to the research and higher ed communities. Our higher ed associations quickly expressed their concerns (APLU, AAU, The Science Coalition, AAAS) and the University of Illinois System signed onto a multi-organization letter expressing similar concerns...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.30.2014

  May 30, 2014 3:45 pm4 views

  The House and Senate are both in session next week, with the Senate expected to take up student loan interest rate legislation...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.9.2014

  May 9, 2014 3:45 pm1 views

  Next week, the Senate will be in and will consider wind energy tax credits. The House will be in recess...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.10.2016

  Jun 10, 2016 3:45 pm0 views

  In this edition, Senate appropriators move forward a historically contentious funding bill, Sen. Durbin stands up for DOD-funded medical research, and UIC introduces its new leaders in DC...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter- 6.12.2015

  Jun 12, 2015 3:30 pm4 views

  Both chambers were in session to deliberate appropriations and a major trade bill. However, Members took a quick break Thursday night to engage in a friendly game of baseball...

• Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.13.2014

  Jun 13, 2014 3:45 pm0 views

  President Barack Obama and Senate Democrats joined forces this week to elevate student debt as a top midterm pocketbook issue. On Monday, the president signed an executive order...