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Federal Relations News
A list that showcases University resources and interactions with federal agencies

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  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 5.26.2017

    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 - 6.6.2014

    The House was in recess this week. The Senate was in session and confirmed Sylvia Burwell to be the next Health and Human Secretary by a surprisingly bipartisan vote, 78-17...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 06.08.2018

    Both chambers of Congress have been making progress on their respective appropriations bills for Fiscal Year 2019. Just this week...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.9.2017

    While much of the attention in Washington, D.C. this week revolved around the Senate hearing with former FBI Director James Comey, there were relevant budget hearings. This edition also features the University of Illinois System's recent engagement activities with legislators, both in D.C. and in Illinois...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.10.2016

    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 - 6.13.2014

    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...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.23.2017

    In this edition, we recap the latest actions on the budget and health care reform, provide an update on Congressional attention on campus free speech, and feature some U of I representatives who were in D.C...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.24.2016

    In this edition, several higher education bills are queued up for floor consideration, President Killeen speaks with our Illinois in Washington internship program, and UIS hosts its annual DC alumni event...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.27.2014

    Both chambers were in session this week. Members will remain in their districts next week for the 4th of July holiday. After an abundance of hearings, the House and Senate education committees...

  • DC Visitors: Week of June 24

    UIC Physics Professor Nikos Varelas, Urbana Professor Stephen Long, President Robert Easter, VPR Larry Schook, and Professor Bill King came to DC.

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 6.30.2017

    Both the House and the Senate were in session this week. Members of Congress will be back in their districts next week for the July 4th recess...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 7.11.2014

    The House was in session and considered a spending bill for energy and water programs as well as legislation to strengthen federal workforce development programs. The Senate was also in session...

  • DC Visitors: Week of July 8

    Professor Bill King and OVPR's Caralynn Nowinski were in D.C. for the Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation (DMDI) Institute Proposers' Day.

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 7.15.2016

    Congress has officially adjourned for its seven-week summer recess. Before heading back to their districts, lawmakers wrapped things up with some appropriations work and other legislative matters..

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 7.21.2017

    With August recess right around the corner, Republican leadership is hastening its pace to make progress on outstanding legislative items, particularly appropriations...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 7.25.2014

    Next week marks the final week before both chambers recess for the August work period. The focus: red meat for each party's base. The House is expected to take up its highly publicized lawsuit...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 07.27.2018

    The House broke for its month-long August recess yesterday. As previously reported, the Senate has cancelled the majority of its recess to complete work on confirmations and appropriations. Below is a quick update on Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 appropriations and some highlights of the U of I System's recent engagement activities in the nation's capital...

  • DC Visitors: UIUC College of ACES Assistant Professors

    Nine assistant professors from UIUC's College of ACES visited DC the week of July 29 to learn about federal funding opportunities for research.

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 8.1.2014

    The final week of session before the August recess is always a frenetic time. This year marked no exception, with research and education priorities taking a backseat to pressing national crises. Pressure mounted on both the House and Senate...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 8.3.2015

    After a short but packed week that included passage of a three-month authorization for federal highway and transit programs, the House officially adjourned for August recess last Wednesday night. The Senate will soon follow in the House's footsteps after wrapping up final votes this week...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 9.1.2017

    The University of Illinois System leveraged a variety of opportunities throughout the August recess to interact with federal legislators...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 9.2.2016

    With Labor Day weekend upon us, Congress' seven-week summer recess is quickly coming to a close. All U.S. Senators and Representatives will return to DC next Tuesday for a short session before the election. Throughout the extended district work period, the University of Illinois (U of I) seized various opportunities to interface with legislators...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 9.11.2015

    Congress returned from its month-long recess this week, and members immediately entered into a contentious debate over the Iran nuclear agreement...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 09.14.2018

    Congress sent a final Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 spending bill to the President this week which funds the departments of Energy and Veterans Affairs, the Army Corps of Engineers and the operations of Congress. The three-bill minibus ensures that at least some agencies will receive full FY2019 funding before the beginning of the fiscal year on October 1.

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 9.23.2016

    Over the past week, the University of Illinois (U of I) System hosted three successful events involving high-ranking officials from the National Science Foundation (NSF), each with a different backdrop—the Urbana-Champaign campus, the Chicago campus, and Washington, DC...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 9.28.2015

    Following Pope Francis' historic visit to DC and address to Congress, breaking news erupted Friday morning that has since set the city spinning...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 09.28.2018

    Congress successfully beat the clock this week in wrapping up two more fiscal year 2019 appropriations bills and avoiding a partial government shutdown. Early Friday, President Trump signed into law legislation providing full-year funding for...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.2.2015

    Earlier this week, Congress acted just in time to prevent a government shutdown. The University of Illinois had significant representation on Capitol Hill from two of its campuses: UIC Chancellor Amiridis visited the Illinois Congressional delegation and one of Urbana's deans testified before a House subcommittee...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.6.2017

    The University of Illinois System co-hosted a breakfast meeting with Sen. Dick Durbin this week with the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Dr. Francis Collins, and the Illinois Congressional delegation...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.7.2016

    Following a compressed September session, Congress is back in recess again until after the November 8 election. Before leaving Washington, Congress approved a Continuing Resolution to avert a shutdown and fund government operations through early December...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.11.2013

    Earlier in the week, House Republicans continued its pattern of passing discrete and politically popular funding bills designed to take the “sting” out of the shutdown...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.15.2018

    Congress has now approved, and the president has signed into law, five fiscal year (FY) 2019 appropriations bills, including funding for the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Education, as well as the National Institutes of Health. When Congress returns in mid-November for a lame-duck session, it will consider the remaining seven bills, which would replace funding now set to expire on December 7. While the FY2019 appropriations process has gone smoothly so far, a fight over border wall funding could derail the process.

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.16.2015

    With so much still up in the air for House Republican leadership races, negotiations surrounding the federal budget situation seem to be on the backburner...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.18.2013

    After being closed for 16 days, the federal government has finally reopened, allowing hundreds of thousands of furloughed federal employees to return to work...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.24.2014

    Only ten days remain until the election, and the Senate majority hangs in the balance. A strong anti-incumbent mood permeates the country...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.25.2013

    With the Senate in recess and the House only in session on Tuesday and Wednesday, it was a shorter and quieter week on Capitol Hill...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.28.2016

    With 10 days left before the election, significant changes are right around the corner. Our next edition will have a recap of the election results...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 10.30.2015

    This was a momentous week on Capitol Hill. The House of Representatives elected Wisconsin Congressman and House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to serve as its new speaker and Congress passed a two-year budget agreement...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 11.3.2017

    Yesterday, House Republicans unveiled their long-anticipated tax reform bill. Below are the most noteworthy provisions that relate to higher education...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 11.8.2013

    The Senate was in session this week, and the House was in recess. But substantial groundwork continues to be laid for the reauthorization of bills important to UI...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 11.16.2018

    Beginning in January, there will be three new faces in the Illinois delegation.

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 11.18.2016

    Members of Congress returned to Washington this week to kick off the post-election lame-duck session. This edition provides some updates and key takeaways surrounding the 115th Congress, while providing a glimpse at the new Illinois Congressional delegation...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 12.20.2013

    On Wednesday, the Senate passed the two-year budget deal by a vote of 64-36...

  • Federal Relations E-Newsletter - 12.22.2017

    As Congress worked to enact tax reform legislation, OGR and the entire U of I System worked to ensure that the voices...