January 30, 2026

Leading the News this Week

Yesterday, Senate Democrats, Republicans, and President Trump reached a deal aimed at funding the government, including top community college priorities for Labor and Education programs. Congress has until tonight to pass a spending package to avoid a partial government shutdown. Read on to the next section for additional information.

News in Higher Education

Senate Democrats, Republicans, and the President Reach a Spending Deal, But the Government Will Partially Shut Down

The Senate and President Trump have reached a deal that would decouple the contentious Department of Homeland Security (DHS) appropriations bill from the remaining five appropriations bills, which all originally arrived in the Senate as one House-passed package. Overall, the deal would fund the rest of the government covered by the five appropriations bills (including the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) appropriations bill). The deal would continue current funding for DHS for two weeks as lawmakers negotiate on how the restrictions on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ought to look. These are the next steps to push the deal through Congress:

1. All 100 Senators must vote in agreement to decouple the DHS funding bill from the rest. There was a momentary hold-up from Senator Lindsey Graham (SC) that was resolved.
2. The Senate would then vote on the new five-bill package and separately vote to extend current DHS funding for the next two weeks.
3. The five-bill funding package would then go back to the House for a vote, which would most likely be on Monday when the House returns from recess.
4. The House must also vote on extending current DHS funding.

So far, President Trump has directed House Republicans to vote in alignment with this deal. 

Even with this deal getting closer to enactment, the government will see a lapse in appropriations over the weekend as the House will not hold the needed votes before tonight's 11:59 PM deadline. However, if the House passes this deal, the government will be operational if the House votes on Monday.

As a reminder, in the bipartisan LHHS bill, both the Senate and the House rejected proposed cuts and eliminations of student aid and other critical programs. Of all ACCT appropriations priorities for FY26, all programs received level funding or a minor increase, except the Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP), which is set to face a $10 million reduction. As such, one of ACCT's legislative priorities for FY27 is to advocate for SIP funding that matches FY24 levels. Please take a look at our ACCT Now blog for a deeper dive on the LHHS bill.

The Trump Administration Moves Forward with Accreditation Reform

This week, the Department of Education announced its plan for negotiated rulemaking during April and May to establish new regulations that would lower barriers for new accreditors to gain recognition and make it easier for institutions to switch accreditors. In the Notice for Proposed Rulmaking, the Department announced its goal to change the criteria used when recognizing new accreditors, saying it wants to focus on "student achievement and outcomes, high educational quality, and high-value programs."

Department of Education Issues Proposed Rule for Public Comment

This week, the Department of Education issued the proposed rule stemming from the work the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) committee undertook in November on how the student loan provisions in H.R. 1, the One Big Beautiful Bill, would be implemented. ACCT looks forward to submitting comments. The public has until March 2, 2026, to submit their comments. 

Preparing for NLS

The 2026 Community College National Legislative Summit (NLS) is around the corner! Here are a few ways you can get ready.

• Download and review the 2026 Community College Federal Legislative Priorities, aka the "Green Sheet." 
• Schedule meetings with your elected officials. If you're not sure how to do this, refer to our FAQ and our video tutorial.
• Get your college's "asks" in order and be ready to talk and answer questions about them. 
• Complete the Federal Funds worksheet before you leave for Washington.
• Choose a lead spokesperson for your group who will start the meeting and keep the conversation focused. Also, determine who within your group will raise what points so that everyone will be prepared and comfortable in their advocacy.

View and bookmark ACCT's NLS resources page here - we will continue to add helpful resources.

Finally, reach out to the ACCT government relations team at publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.      

Grant Opportunities

Please review the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education's Community College webpage for new grants community colleges are eligible for.

• February 8-11, 2026: National Legislative Summit

Outreach Efforts

Is your institution meeting or hosting an event with federal elected officials?

We created a Congressional Contact Form that will help us track outreach efforts of community college leaders across our membership. By filling out the form, you are better informing ACCT's advocacy efforts and our advocacy team is able to continue those conversations with congressional staff in DC. 

ACCT NOW is the go-to resource for issues affecting community colleges. Our new website features original reporting and research, as well as of-the-moment legislative updates. ACCT NOW also includes articles, reports, and research from outside sources that benefit the ACCT community. Read the Latest Articles on ACCT NOW:

Would you Like a Federal Update Session for Your Team?

Both this new presidential administration and new Congress have brought with them a flurry of developments in the federal landscape that can make keeping up a monumental task. ACCT's Government Relations team is here to help by offering a 45-minute to an-hour federal update session to community college leadership teams who are ACCT members. To request a session, fill out this form and please email publicpolicy@acct.org with any questions.

Have a Question?

Contact us with any questions or concerns about public policy and ACCT's advocacy on behalf of two-year colleges and two-year college trustees. ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts are sent to interested ACCT members to keep you up to date on important legislative activities that impact community colleges.

If you no longer wish to receive ACCT's Latest Action in Washington alerts, reply to this email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line. For more information about ACCT's advocacy services, visit acct.org/advocacy

Spread the Word.

Please encourage your fellow trustees, presidents and colleagues to stay up to date about legislation that affects their community colleges by joining the Latest Action in Washington (LAW) Alert network. To join, simply register here. 

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