DANIEL PARKER

Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to express continued support and increased funding for federal student aid programs, including Pell Grant, SEOG, Federal Work Study, TRIO, federal direct subsidized loan program in FY27 Appropriations. Encouraged lawmakers to restore funding for Work Study and SEOG campus-based aid programs in the FY27 Appropriations bills. Met with legislative staff to encourage support for continued funding for Title VI International Education and Area Studies, and the Fulbright/Hayes programs in FY27 Appropriations. Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to express support for TRIO programs, including McNair Scholars and Upward Bound, and to request continued funding in FY27. Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to encourage continuation of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program and other income-driven repayment programs that benefit Cornell graduates, and to discourage action to eliminate or greatly restrict these programs. Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to request support for graduate education and federal aid for graduate and professional students, and to explain the impact of policies to cap federal student loans to graduate and professional students; encouraged Congress to pass legislation to expand the definition of professional student. (HR 1, HR 6718, HR 6574) Met with legislative staff to discuss concerns with and explain the impact of proposed changes to foreign gift reporting and other provisions in HR 1048, and to discourage expansion of these programs.

Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to lobby for funding of select research and education programs in the FY27 budget and appropriations cycle, including: Agriculture: NIFA programs for capacity for research (Hatch, McIntire-Stennis, Veterinary Services Grant, Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment, Animal Health & Disease Research) and extension (Smith-Lever, EFNEP, Renewable Resources Extension) at land grant universities, competitive agriculture research programs (AFRI, SARE, Agriculture Genome-to-Phenome Initiative, SCRI); integrated activities (NAHLN, Crop Protection/Pest Management); Intermural research at ARS for Salaries and Expenses (Grape Genomics, Hemp) and Buildings and Facilities (National Grape Improvement Center + Greenhouses and Growth Chambers); ERS; APHIS Veterinary Diagnostics; FDA CFSAN Commerce, Justice, Science: EDA Build to Scale NSF, NSF Facilities (CHEXS), NSF Cross-Cutt,ing Activities (NNIN), NASA Science, NASA Aerospace, NASA Space Technology, NASA Early-Stage Innovation & Partnerships, NASA STEM Outreach-Space Grant, NOAA-OAR, NOAA-Sea Grant and Aquaculture, NOAA-Regional Climate Centers, NIST, DOJ - National Institute of Justice Research & Evaluation, Facilities & Administrative/Indirect Cost Reimbursement Defense: Defense Basic Research (category 6.1), DARPA, Defense Health Research (including Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program), AF-RDT&E-Applied Research Materials; Defense Wide RDT&E-Cybersecurity Research; Navy RDT&E Applied Research Environmental Protection, DoD Facilities & Administrative/Indirect Cost Expense Reimbursement Energy and Water: DoE Office of Science, ARPA-E, Geothermal Office, DoE Facilities & Administrative/Indirect Cost Expense Reimbursement Interior: NEH, EPA Science & Technology, EPA Geographic Programs - Long Island Sound, USGS-WRRI, USGS Cooperative Research Units Labor-HHS-Education: Education Programs - Pell Grant, SEOG, FWS, TRIO, Title VI International Education; HHS Programs - Title VII Health Professions, CDC, CDC Vector Borne Disease Research, CDC Lyme Disease, NIH, AHRQ, ARPA-H, NIH Reorganization, NIH Cap on Facilities & Administration Reimbursement National Security-State/State-Foreign Ops: Educational & Cultural Exchange Programs (Fulbright), Feed the Future Innovation Labs, asked Congress to continue funding USAID university and higher education programs within State Department budget. Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to request support for activities meant to prod federal departments, agencies, and programs to continue spending funds appropriated in FY26. Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to explain the effect of cancelled and/or frozen programs and grants, and to request assistance with agencies. Met with Senators, Representatives, and legislative staff to encourage passage of the remaining FY 26 appropriations bills. (PL 119-75)

Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to to encourage full funding for programs authorized by the CHIPS & Science Act (PL 117-167). Issues include authorizations for the NSF, DoE Office of Science, NIST, STEM education, graduate education and young investigator support, open access to research, continued support of the NSTC, technology transfer enhancement, provisions on research security, and disclosure of foreign gifts and contracts. Asked covered officials not to repeal or rescind funding provided by the CHIPS Act. Met with legislative staff to discuss and encourage support of actions to implement National Security Presidential Memorandum-33 to improve and better coordinate research security; discouraged enactment of stricter research security mandates until NSPM-33 is fully implemented. Met with legislative staff to express support for continuation of the fundamental research exclusion from legislative proposals to address export controls and research security. Expressed concern with policies that discourage international collaboration, regardless of adherence to national security protocols. Met with legislative staff to discuss issues continued support for the NASA reauthorization legislation and the NASA Space Grant program. Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to discuss facilities & administrative cost recovery process, and to discourage efforts to cap F&A reimbursement at the NSF and other scientific research agencies. Met with legislative staff to request continued support for research and construction projects funded by the National Science Foundation. Met with legislative staff to encourage support of research on advanced technology areas, including artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and robotics. Met with Legislative Staff to encourage support for provisions in the of the Farm, Food & National Security Act (HR 7567) directing heads of research agencies including NSF, Energy, and Defense, to enter into MOUs with the Secretary of Agriculture to promote research collaborations. Met with legislative staff to express support for the NSF Plant Biology Act (HR 7949). Met with legislative staff to request support for investment in high performance computer equipment for AI research through the Congressionally Directed Spending process.

Met with Senators, Representatives, and legislative staff to discuss university intellectual property and technology transfer operations, and to encourage support for the PREVAIL (HR 3160, S.1553), PERA (HR 3512, S.1546), and RESTORE (HR 1578, S.704) Acts. Met with Senators, Representatives, and legislative staff to encourage support for efforts to prevent agencies from indiscriminately exercising march-in rights to invalidate university patents or licenses, or to discourage the administration from claiming a portion of patent royalties.

Met with Senators, Representatives, and legislative staff to express support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, and to encourage support of the legislation to provide legal status and protections for undocumented students in the Dream and Promise Act. (HR 1589, S 3348) Met with Representatives, Senators, and legislative staff to express concern with and discourage policies that have a negative impact on international students and scholars, including legislation to prevent Chinese students from studying in the US (HR 2147) or to eliminate the OPT program (HR 2315). Expressed support for high skilled immigration reform. (HR 2627, S 1233) Met with Senators, Representatives, and legislative staff to discuss the impact of executive actions to limit duration of status for international students, and to encourage legislative action to keep the current policy in place. Met with legislative staff to discuss concerns with increased fees for H1-B visa applications.

Met with legislative staff to discuss college athletics issues and their impact on the Ivy League, including NCAA settlement, executive orders, scholarships, women's sports, and potential NIL legislation.