1/28/26: Texas Pauses Use of H-1B Visas at State Universities (Inside Higher Ed) Texas governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, ordered all state colleges and universities to freeze their applications for new H-1B visas, The Texas Tribune reported . https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/28/texas-pauses-use-h-1b-visas-state-universities
1/28/26: New Alliance Aims to Protect Colleges and Universities From Government Meddling (Inside Higher Ed) The freshly launched Alliance for Higher Education is working to stave off government overreach in higher ed, arguing it’s critical for democracy and college access. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/government/politics-elections/2026/01/28/alliance-forms-protect-higher-ed-political-meddling
1/28/26: Ph.D.s in STEM, Health Roles Fled Federal Research Agencies Last Year (Inside Higher Ed) The number of Ph.D. holders in STEM and health roles leaving 14 federal research agencies outnumbered hires 11 to 1 last year, according to a Science analysis of White House Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data. That has resulted in a net 4,224 fewer such Ph.D.s in those agencies, the journal reported this week. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/28/phds-stem-health-roles-fled-federal-agencies
1/27/26: How Indirect Rate Costs Differ Between Academia and Industry (Inside Higher Ed, COGR mentioned) Compared to private industry contractors and federal laboratories, universities receive less from the federal government to cover costs indirectly related to research, according to a study commissioned by research university associations. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/27/report-delves-how-indirect-rate-cost-policies-differ
1/27/26: Republicans scramble to avoid shutdown amid public ICE backlash (The Hill) Senate Republicans are scrambling to save a funding package that needs to pass by Friday to avoid a partial government shutdown, but they are meeting strong resistance from Democrats who are furious over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics in Minneapolis. https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5707465-gop-democrats-clash-homeland-security/
1/27/26: Congress set to cut basic defense science funding (Science) Basic research programs at the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) would see funding cuts under legislation now awaiting final action in Congress. But lawmakers are poised to increase applied research, restore substantial funding to a DOD biomedical research program, and block a proposed cap on what the Pentagon gives universities to pay for the overhead costs associated with federally funded research. https://www.science.org/content/article/congress-set-cut-defense-science-funding
