FY27 Appropriations Update
Congress is currently working on the fiscal year 2027 (FY27) appropriation process. Congress has provided a full FY27 status table [3] for House and Senate appropriations bills. The House Appropriations Committee began marking up the twelve appropriations bills in April and has approved funding bills for all departments. The Senate Appropriations Committee has not released their appropriations bills yet due to disagreements over topline spending totals for defense and non-defense programs.

Due to these delays, the Senate passed a Continuing Resolution (C.R., H.R. 6500 [4]) on Aug. 8 on a bipartisan 90-6 vote [5]. The CR would fund the federal government through Dec. 11, following the expiration of fiscal year 2026 (FY26) funding on Sept. 30. The CR, among other policy provisions, includes language that would prevent the administration from finalizing the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) proposed rule revising the Uniform Guidance (UG) through the duration of the CR. The White House issued a Statement of Administration Policy (SAP [6]) on Aug.3 in support of the legislation. House Speaker Mike Johnson has indicated that he plans to put the CR on the floor for a vote once the House returns from recess on Aug. 31, reports [7] POLITICO.

The University of Colorado Federal Relations team actively advocates for robust funding for programs which support our students and researchers, including federal financial aid and numerous research agencies and programs. We have submitted CU-specific requests to Congress, signed stakeholder support letters, urged our members to lead and sign dear colleague letters, and brought CU leadership, faculty and students to Capitol Hill to champion university priorities. Our team is actively advocating for university priorities as the appropriations process continues to play out.

UCCS Opens Air Force ROTC Detachment 105A
UCCS held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug. 27 to celebrate the establishment of an Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Operating Location (OL), AFROTC Detachment 105A [8]. Congressional staff from the offices of Sen. Hickenlooper and Reps. Boebert and Pettersen joined the event alongside Chancellor Sobanet, CU Regents McNulty and Scott, Lt. Gov. Primavera and Colorado state and local elected officials.  The inaugural cadre boasts 105 cadets, which puts UCCS' Detachment 105A, alongside CU Boulder’s Detachment 105, in the top half of detachments for enrollment in the country.

Prior to the establishment of the UCCS AFROTC detachment, cadets were required to travel weekly to the CU Boulder campus to participate in classes as part of AFROTC Detachment 105 [9].

Federal advocacy to the US Air Force and Colorado’s congressional delegation, directed by CU President Todd Saliman and Chancellor Sobanet, helped to build the groundwork for this detachment. The congressional delegation, led by Sen. Bennet, sent a letter [10] to then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall in June 2024 asking for establishment of the detachment. Sen. Bennet, along with Sen. Hickenlooper and Reps. DeGette, Neguse, Crow, and Pettersen celebrated [11] the announcement of the detachment on Nov. 7, 2025. Rep. Crank, who has represented UCCS since Jan. 2025, has been supportive of the establishment of the detachment during his tenure. More about the detachment can be read at  Fox News 21 [12] and The Gazette [13].

Rep. Owens Meets with CU Boulder
Rep. Burgess Owens (R-UT) visited Colorado and met with CU Boulder faculty and staff in Denver on Aug. 21, regarding their work in microcredentials. Rep. Owens introduced H.R. 8183 [14], the Modernizing Access to Talents, Credentials, and Hiring (MATCH) Act of 2026 in April. The legislation would establish state-led talent marketplaces, create portable Learning and Employment Records (LERs), and connect workers to jobs and training based on their verified skills and credentials. Rep. Owens is the Vice Chair of the House Committee on Education and Workforce and the Chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education and Workforce Development.

Rep. Neguse Meets with CU Boulder AD Lovo
Rep. Joe Neguse met with [15] CU Boulder Athletic Director Fernando Lovo in Boulder on Aug. 13. They discussed CU athletics, the state of college athletics, and current legislation on college athletics.

CU Campus Visits
DC-based congressional staffers from the offices of Sen. Bennet and Reps. Neguse, Crank, and Pettersen traveled to Colorado during the August recess, a traditional extended break when members of Congress leave D.C. to work from their home states and districts. Staffers toured facilities and met experts with the Center for Drug Discovery [16] and Gates Institute [17] at CU Anschutz; CIRES [18], ESIIL [19], RASEI [20], INSTAAR [21], College of Engineering and Applied Science [22], ICS [23], Colorado Quantum Incubator [24], and JILA [25] at CU Boulder; TRIO [26], Office of Financial Aid [27], and the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD [28]) at CU Denver; and the AFROTC [8] detachment and the Laboratory for Cybersecurity Dynamics (LCD [29]) at UCCS.

Recent Colorado Events
Staff from the offices of Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper participated in a tour at Fort Lewis College showcasing the partnership between the CU Anschutz College of Nursing and Fort Lewis College in Durango on Aug. 11. The visits were part of the CU Presidential Outreach Tour, [30] which included stops across southwest Colorado. President Todd Saliman, UCCS Chancellor Jennifer Sobanet, and Regents Ilana Spiegel and Elliott Hood also attended the tour.

The CU Buffs football team training camp was held in Colorado Springs in August. UCCS hosted the team on campus in the dorms. During the training camp week, President Todd Saliman hosted a community luncheon alongside CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz, Athletic Director Fernando Lovo and Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders on Aug. 8. The event was moderated by Director of Audio Broadcasting Mark Johnson. Chancellors Justin Schwartz and Jennifer Sobanet and CU Regents Ken Montera and Ilana Spiegel also attended the event. Staff from the offices of Sens. Bennet and Hickenlooper and Rep. Crank, along with local state representatives, were also in attendance.

CU OGR Participates in Congressional Roundtables with COBRT
CU Federal Relations represented the University of Colorado in congressional roundtables [31] hosted by the Colorado Business Roundtable (COBRT [32]) with Reps. Boebert, Crank, Crow [33], Neguse [34], and Pettersen during the August recess.

Elections and University Guidelines
The University of Colorado has guidelines regarding political activity and expression. With the Nov. 3 elections approaching, all employees and students should be aware of the guidelines around campaign-related activity and expression. [35] Please visit the Office of Government Relations Guidelines and Resources page [36] for more information.