Post-Election Update
Donald Trump (R) was elected to his second term as president on November 5. Republicans won control of the U.S. Senate and maintained control of the U.S. House. Narrow majorities in both chambers will likely necessitate bipartisanship to enact legislation. Sen. John Thune (R-SD) was elected as Senate majority leader and Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was nominated to serve a second term as speaker of the House. 

Unified control of government could allow the new administration and Congress to pursue budget reconciliation, a procedural tool that allows comprehensive legislation to pass both the House and Senate with simple majorities and bypass the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster. Budget reconciliation bills are limited to policies governing spending, revenues, and the debt limit and can only be used once per fiscal year. It has been reported that congressional Republicans plan to use reconciliation to enact their tax reform priorities early next year. Compromise with congressional Democrats will still be necessary to enact most federal legislation.

Lawmakers are currently negotiating funding for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025, which began on October 1. Federal agencies are operating under a continuing resolution that freezes spending levels and expires on December 20. Speaker Johnson recently said he wants to extend current funding levels a second time and punt final funding decisions until next year. Lawmakers are also working to finalize the FY25 National Defense Authorization Act before the end of the calendar year.

CU’s Federal Relations team is monitoring potential policy impacts of the new Congress and Administration on education, immigration, research, public health, healthcare, tax reform, and more. This includes monitoring the President-elect's Cabinet and other appointments and engaging with our national organization partners at AAU, APLU and AAMC, as well as other Colorado stakeholders on shared priorities and strategy. APLU is hosting a virtual Post-Election Federal Policy Brief on December 4 from 3:30-4:30pm EST. The Washington Post is maintaining a cabinet appointment tracker. We are here for you and encourage you to call or email us anytime. It is critical to remember all federal relations go through our team. For more information, please visit the CU Office of Government Relations’ Guidelines and Resources page.

CU, Others Urge Appropriators to Finalize NIH Funding
The CU System and all four campuses joined nearly 400 other organizations in a letter urging appropriators to finalize the Fiscal Year 25 Labor-HHS spending bill by the end of the calendar year with strong investments in the NIH. The November 18 letter, organized by the AAMC’s Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research, urges Congress to provide no less than the Senate Finance Committee-approved level of $48.9 billion and continue funding for the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H). The letter can be read on the AAMC website.

CU Boulder, Others Urge Passage of CREATE AI Act
CU Boulder joined over 75 industry and higher education organizations in a letter urging congressional leadership to pass the Creating Resources for Every American To Experiment with Artificial Intelligence Act (CREATE AI Act) and fully establish the National AI Research Resource (NAIRR). CU Boulder’s Research Computing team spearheaded one of the working teams established under the NAIRR pilot this year. The November 18 letter discusses the importance of research to advance the development and use of AI and urges robust and reliable AI research funding. More about the CREATE AI Act can be read in the fact sheet released by the office of Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM).

Lt. Gen. Robinson Visits CU Boulder AFROTC
Commander of the Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC), Lieutenant General Brian Robinson, visited Air Force ROTC Detachment 105 at CU Boulder on November 8. The detachment is the fourth largest in the U.S. and helps cadets prepare to lead and serve in the Air Force and Space Force. Lt. Gen. Robinson, alongside Mrs. Robinson and Command Team, answered questions from cadets and were given a tour. Interim dean and vice provost of undergraduate education, Erika Randall, also participated. Photos from the event were posted on the AETC Instagram page.

LongPath (CU Boulder Spinout) Receives $162M DOE Loan to Expand Methane Detection
The U.S. Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office (LPO) finalized a $162.4 million loan package to LongPath Technologies, a Boulder-based company founded by CU Boulder researchers, at an event on campus on October 25. Jigar Shah, director of the DOE Loan Programs Office, Luis Ortiz, deputy director of the DOE Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E), Greg Rieker, CTO and co-founder of LongPath, Ian Dickinson, CEO of LongPath, and Massimo Ruzzene, Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation and Dean of the Institutes at CU Boulder participated in the event. The loan will help finance the construction and installation of remote monitoring towers to track methane emissions in every major U.S. oil and gas production region. More about LongPath and the event can be read in CU Boulder Today.

CU Denver Alum Published in Congressional Record
U.S. Rep. Greg Lopez presented CU Denver graduate and current CU Anschutz postdoctoral fellow Dr. Jennifer Jaime a Congressional Record on October 7. She participated in the MARC U STAR scholarship program as an undergraduate at CU Denver and was recognized for her accomplishments by Rep. Lopez. Dr. Jaime joined the lab of Jennifer McKay, PhD, at CU Anschutz after completing her doctorate through the University of Michigan’s Neuroscience Graduate Program in May 2024. A photo of the event and more information about Jennifer can be read in the CU Denver Newsroom.