Quarterly Advocacy Update (July 2026)

IN THIS ISSUE

 

House Releases FY 2027 Appropriations Bill and Report as Secretary McMahon Faces questioning from Congress on the RISE Rule

On June 8, the House Appropriations Committee released its full report for the FY 2027 Labor-HHS-Education bill. For programs within the Department of Education (ED), the bill proposes to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $7,445 for the 2027-2028 award year. It would fund the Federal Work Study (FWS) program at $908 million, a decrease of approximately $322 million from the enacted FY 2026 level but is significantly more than the $123 million that was proposed in President Trump’s FY 2027 Budget Request (PBR). The National Institutes of Health (NIH) would be funded at $47.3 billion, an increase of $100 million or 0.2% over FY 2026 enacted levels.

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) would receive $8.7 billion in discretionary funding, notably more than the $1.9 billion in discretionary funding that was proposed in the PBR. Within HRSA, the bill would provide:

  • $159 million for the Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) programs, a $1 million increase from FY 2026 levels;
  • $48.2 million for the Geriatrics programs including the Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program and Geriatric Academic Career Awards;
  • $40 million for the Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery (STAR) Loan Repayment Program, flat funding with FY 2026 enacted levels; and,
  • $55 million for Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) would be funded at $7.3 billion in FY 2027, and notably level fund the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) in the amount of $19,516,000.

To justify ED’s proposed FY 2027 budget amongst other policy decisions, Secretary of Education Linda McMahon testified before the House Education and Workforce Committee on May 14. Graduate borrowing caps and the professional degree definition drew the most sustained, bipartisan pushback during the hearing. Representatives from both parties raised concerns about the “professional degree” definition finalized by the Department, including how the new graduate loan caps would push students into the private loan market and worsen healthcare and education workforce shortages. Representatives Bonamici (D-OR), Hayes (D-CT), Norcross (D-CA), and Omar (D-MN) notably highlighted social work as one of the declassified professions widely affected by the final rules. Secretary McMahon defended the rule as final but expressed willingness to discuss workforce pathways for registered nurses and physician assistants.

The Senate Appropriations Committee has not yet released its version of the FY 2027 Labor-HHS-Education bill but is anticipated to do so in the coming weeks. CSWE will continue to monitor developments and negotiations in the Senate as they progress.
 

CSWE Hosts 2026 Annual Fellows Forum on Capitol Hill

On May 19, CSWE brought 80 baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral students across 22 states including students from Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, for its annual Fellows Forum to advocate for social work education on Capitol Hill. Student advocates met with 14 offices across the House and Senate, representing programs that rely upon federal funding, including the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) and the Substance Use Disorders Education and Leadership Scholars (SUDEALS). Students also urged their representatives to protect federal student aid programs, including Pell Grants, Parent PLUS, Graduate PLUS, and subsidized loans, from reductions that could make social work education less accessible.

CSWE will continue to bring relevant stakeholders to engage with elected officials, advocating to ensure that education resources and funding remain available for today’s students and future generations of social workers. More information about the 2026 CSWE Fellows Forum is available here.

 

OMB Releases Proposed Revision of Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance (Uniform Guidance)

On May 29, 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed revision to the “Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance.” The goal of the revision, according to OMB, is to “improve transparency, accountability, and oversight for how Federal taxpayer dollars are used in the context of Federal grantmaking,” and the Administration hopes to have a final Rule in place by October 1st, 2026. Key provisions of the proposed rule include:

  • The codification of grant termination capability, multi-year awards, and streamlined Notices of Funding Opportunity;
  • Requiring review by political appointees at federal agencies;
  • Conference attendance pre-approval;
  • Changes to allowable costs, including publications;
  • The Codification of DEI restrictions; and
  • Expanding event neutrality to private organizations.
CSWE and SSWR are deeply concerned that several provisions of the proposed rule would, if finalized, significantly harm the ability of social work educators and researchers to carry out the federally authorized work they have been funded to conduct, which includes but is not limited to, preparing a desperately needed behavioral health and social services workforce, conducting rigorous research on the health and social conditions of vulnerable populations, and partnering with communities to translate evidence into practice. CSWE/SSWR’s official comments can be found here.

 

Court Stay Temporarily Expands Professional Degree Eligibility Under RISE Rule, Excludes Social Work from Professional Degree list

On June 24, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia preliminarily stayed extra-statutory requirements that the U.S. Department of Education (ED) added to its professional degree definition under the RISE final rule. As a result, ED published an interim list of programs it will treat as awarding professional degrees for the duration of the court’s stay. These programs are now eligible for professional-level loan limits ($50,000 annual, $200,000 aggregate). Unfortunately, the social work profession was not included in the interim list of programs and will not qualify for the professional-level loan limits.

The stay is preliminary and remains in effect only pending further proceedings. The federal government retains an immediate right to appeal the stay and could seek to have the appellate court reverse or pause the district court’s order. ED’s announcement states that these interim designations “may change as litigation proceeds” and recommends that institutions consider capping loan disbursements at graduate-level amounts for programs temporarily classified as professional, specifically to protect students if the stay is later reversed or narrowed.

CSWE will continue to monitor the implementation of the final rule and the anticipated litigation that will follow.

 

Department of Education Concludes AIM Negotiated Rulemaking Committee

In May, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) has concluded its second session of the Accreditation, Innovation, and Modernization (AIM) committee, with negotiators reaching consensus with the Department on new regulations impacting institutional and programmatic accreditors. The final proposal gives accreditation agencies responsibility in assessing and overseeing academic freedom, intellectual diversity, research integrity, and First Amendment rights at institutions. Negotiators and the Department spent thorough time discussing and defining how accreditation agencies would oversee how an institution is adhering to intellectual diversity. Notably, while the committee came to a decision, not every issue was discussed in-depth, thus making the comment period critical, as it gives organizations and individuals the chance to comment on issues.

According to Undersecretary of Education Nicholas Kent, who spoke after the committee reached consensus, proposed rules are expected to be released in the summer, and for final rules to be out before November 1, 2026, for rules to take effect July 1, 2027. A press release from ED can be found here.

 

ED Continues with Interagency Agreements; Aiming to Dissolve the Department

On June 16, ED announced four new Interagency Agreements (IAAs) with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Justice (DOJ). HHS will partner with ED on special education and rehabilitative services (under one IAA), and DOJ will partner with ED on civil rights enforcement, student privacy protection, and training and advisory services, outlined in three separate IAA’s. A fact sheet on the IAA’s with HHS can be found here, and the fact sheet(s) on the IAA’s with DOJ can be found at the bottom of ED’s press release found here.

While the Administration continues to move functions outside of ED through administrative actions, the Department cannot be eliminated without congressional approval. Because the Department of Education was established by statute, formally abolishing the agency or transferring many of its statutory responsibilities would require legislation passed by Congress and signed into law. In the meantime, Congress continues to exercise oversight of these agreements, with lawmakers from both parties raising questions about implementation, continuity of services, and whether the transfers are consistent with existing statutory authorities.
 

ED Releases Final Rule on Institutional Accountability Metrics

On July 1, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) released final rules on institutional accountability, following the conclusion of the negotiated rulemaking by the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) committee, the second part of the process of implementing policy changes that were included in the One Big Beautiful Act (OBBBA). Ultimately, the final rule largely reflects the language in the proposed rules that were published by ED in April, and the language that reached consensus during the rulemaking session in January.

Under the final rule, the Debt-to-Earnings (D/E) metric and would be replaced with an “earnings premium” test known as the Student Tuition and Transparency System (STATS). This would require that an institution’s programs must pass an earnings premium test that would apply to all programs and would include opportunities to regain eligibility in the future if eligibility is lost. Under STATS, institutions would have to report program-level tuition, fees, and grant/scholarship data to the Department, as well as notify enrolled students with warnings about programs at risk of losing Direct Loan eligibility and notify Pell-eligible students of their remaining lifetime Pell eligibility at each disbursement. Notably, the "earnings premium" test requires that graduates out-earn individuals with only a high school diploma (or a bachelor's degree, for master's programs). Master’s programs failing this test in two of three consecutive award years would lose Title IV direct loan eligibility, with a pathway to regain it.

ED plans for elements of the final rule to go into effect 60 days after publication in the federal register on July 1, 2026. Institutions are still required to submit the STATS data to ED no later than October 1, 2026, and annually thereafter on October 1.

 

HRSA Releases Solicitation for SDS Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has released its solicitations for the Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students (SDS) program. Of qualified health professions, students seeking a graduate degree in clinical social work are eligible to apply.

The new solicitation includes some new language around determining which students qualify as “vulnerable,” MAHA, and DOJ guidance, among some other changes. It also now opens with a broad statement requiring all proposed activities to comply with current federal law, executive orders, and court decisions. It specifically states that federal funds may not be used to:

  • support racial preferences or intentional proxies for race,
  • deny the biological sex binary,
  • facilitate illegal immigration, or
  • support other initiatives deemed inconsistent with public safety.
The deadline to apply for the program is July 28. More information can be found here.

 

DHS Finalizes Rule Establishing Fixed Admission Periods for Student and Exchange Visas

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a final rule, effective September 15, replacing the longstanding "duration of status" policy for F, J, and I visa holders with a fixed admission period of up to four years. Individuals who need additional time to complete their program or employment may apply for an extension of stay, and timely filed extension requests will automatically extend lawful status while under USCIS review.

The final rule largely mirrors the proposed rule. It maintains restrictions requiring undergraduate students to remain at their initial institution during their first academic year, limits students from moving to the same or lower educational level, and restricts graduate students from changing educational objectives or transferring institutions without approval. The rule also shortens the post-completion grace period from 60 days to 30 days (or 15 days for students who withdraw from their program) and specifies that academic probation or repeated failure to make progress are not valid grounds for an extension of stay.

Current F, J, and I visa holders admitted under the existing duration-of-status policy will have a four-year transition period to complete their programs without changing to a fixed end date while in the United States. The changes could have implications for social work education, particularly for international MSW and doctoral students whose programs, field placements, research, or Optional Practical Training (OPT) may extend beyond four years. DHS also included a severability clause, allowing the remainder of the regulation to remain in effect if portions are challenged in court. The final rule can be found here.

Advocacy Roundup

Between April and July 2026, CSWE has issued the following statements and documents.

 

Advocacy Resources

CSWE
CSWE 2026 Congressional Advocacy Handbook

Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
AAMC Action grassroots activation
The AAMC has prepared a communication tool which allows individuals to send letters to their Members of Congress to urge support for the immediate reauthorization of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Title VII health professions and Title VIII nursing workforce development programs.

Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC)
Statement on the House Appropriations Committee’s Approval of its FY 2027 Labor HHS-Education Appropriations Act (PDF)

Lewis-Burke Health Highlights Newsletter
June 2026