Dear Colleagues,   

Please find a federal government update from our teams. 

Government Funding Update 
Federal funding for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lapsed on Feb. 14. Congress remains at an impasse over how to end the shutdown. A Senate procedural vote to consider H.R. 7147, legislation to reopen DHS, failed 51-45 on March 5. In addition, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem was fired this week. Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) [will assume] the post effective March 31, reports NPR.  All other federal agencies are currently funded through Sept. 30, 2026.

CU Submits Comments ED on RISE NPRM
CU Anschutz, Boulder, Colorado Springs, and Denver submitted responses to the U.S. Department of Education’s (ED) Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on March 2. The NPRM proposed two graduate student loan programs that take effect on July 1, 2026 and defined which programs provide a graduate or professional degree – with higher loan limits available to the latter. CU campuses discussed the proposed implementation timeline for the regulations and highlighted the limited number of programs defined as professional. Now that the NPRM has closed, ED will review the more than 80,000 public comments submitted and issue a final rule in the coming months.

IES Announces Redesign
The U.S. Department of Education (ED) unveiled on Feb. 27 a new 93-page report entitled Reimagining the Institute of Education Sciences (IES), providing recommendations on how to reform IES, the research and statistics arm of the Department. Recommendations include focusing on urgent education challenges informed by state and district leaders; developing a streamlined and coordinated data strategy; prioritizing multi-state awards to scale promising interventions, resources, and policies; and narrowing the scope of the What Works Clearinghouse. ED will now review and consider the recommendations.

The Federal Relations and General Counsel teams are actively monitoring developments at the federal level. We are working closely with the President and Chancellors, as well as the Colorado congressional delegation to champion CU priorities. We are committed to keeping you informed. Please visit the CU System Federal Updates and Actions page for up-to-date communications and federal memos.   

Danielle Radovich Piper, Sr. VP External Relations and Strategy  
Kerry Tipper, Vice President, University Counsel