Advocacy Agenda

Learn more about UCGPC’s Day on the Hill, Washington D.C. (2026) advocacy agenda.

Introducing UCGPC to Congress

One of the main goals of this advocacy trip is to educate Congress, specifically members from the California delegation and their staff about UCGPC, who we are, what we do, and what our values are. Our goal is to establish our organization as a key legislative player on higher education issues and the voice for graduate and professional students in California.

Funding for Research

Federal budget cuts continue to pose a threat to graduate and professional students in California and across the country. Despite Congress’ efforts to preserve federal research funding through NIH, NSF, and other federal agencies, the Trump Administration has proven to be an unreliable partner in advancing the mission of higher education. The UC system relies on $5.7 billion in federal funding for research and program support. This funding is critical to advancing the university’s mission and ensuring students’ success both academically and professionally. We should thank lawmakers who have supported federal research for FY26 and encourage them to bolster funding and include provisions that protect research in the FY27 budget. This is especially important for members of the California delegation who sit on the House Appropriations Committee: Ken Calvert (R-CA-41), David G. Valadao (R-CA-22), Pete Aguilar (D-CA-33), Norma J. Torres (D-CA-35), Josh Harder (D-CA-09), and Mike Levin (D-CA-49). Meeting requests have been submitted to each of these offices.

Additionally, we should ask that they continue to put pressure on the Trump Administration, to follow the law as Congress intended and release withheld research funding. Students should also share their personal experiences of how the Trump Administration’s unlawful withholding of federal funds impacted them last year, including lost opportunities for research assistantships (RAs), teaching assistantships (TAs), and fellowships tied to federal research grants and examples of departments reducing support and resources for graduate and professional students.

H.R.4862 LOAN Act – Rep. Scott

The Lowering Obstacles to Achievement Now (LOAN) Act was introduced in 2025 by Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), who serves as the Ranking Member on the House Education and Workforce Committee. This legislation is the Democrats’ counterproposal to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). It aims to reduce college costs and improve conditions for student loan borrowers.

Specifically, the legislation would:

• Double the federal Pell Grant by increasing the maximum award over 5 years to $14,000 and allow income-eligible graduate students to use any remaining Pell Grant eligibility from their undergraduate years toward their first graduate degree.

• Expand access to subsidized loans for graduate students, eliminate capitalization of interest including after forbearance and deferment, and create a safety net for vulnerable borrowers;

• Improve the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program by shortening the time to forgiveness and broadly codifying the current PSLF waiver;

• Offer borrowers affordable monthly payments by codifying a new income driven repayment plan which include the major provisions from President Biden’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) plan;

• Streamline loan repayment by offering borrowers two repayment plans while allowing borrowers with old loans flexibility; and

• Tie interest rates for all new federal student loans to the ten-year Treasury note while capping new loan interest rates at five percent.

Recommendation: Support H.R. 4862, advocate for loan reforms and cost reductions, and ask members to support the LOAN Act.

H.R. 6718 Professional Student Degree Act – Rep. Lawler

The Professional Student Degree Act amends the Higher Education Act to define “professional degree” and lists the graduate programs which meet that criteria. This legislation comes in response to provisions in OBBBA that modified the annual federal student loan caps for students in graduate programs. The law caps loans for traditional graduate education at $20,500 per year and $100,000 overall. But for graduate students seeking professional degrees, this limit is raised to $50,000 per year and $200,000 overall. The Professional Student Degree Act codifies the existing regulatory definition of a “professional degree” and adds to the existing list to include more programs that meet the standards set in the definition, including nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, ministry, social work, audiology, physician assistant, public health, business administration and management, accounting, architecture, secondary education, and special education.

Analysis: This bill is not perfect. There are concerns that listing out degree programs could lead to the regulatory exclusion of other programs that have previously been or should be considered professional degrees. Furthermore, it provides limited flexibility for adding additional degree programs in the future. However, it is bipartisan and does provide a foundation for expanding the definition of a professional degree. Notably, the bill is cosponsored by 9 Republicans and one Democrat – none are from California.

Notable endorsing organizations include:

UCOP, UCSA, American Association of State Colleges and Universities, American Council on Education, Association of Public and Land-grant Universities,  and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.

Recommendation: Add H.R. 6718 to our advocacy agenda for this Congress but withhold endorsing the legislation. This will allow UCGPC to maintain flexibility as we consider stronger legislation in the 120th Congress. UCGPC should emphasize the need to undo harmful provisions in OBBBA to avoid discrepancies between graduate and professional students, while encouraging lawmakers to expand the definition of professional degrees.

H.R. 8013 Keep Innovators in America Act – Rep. Liccardo

This legislation was just recently introduced on a bipartisan basis in March by Representatives Sam Liccardo (CA-16) and Jay Obernolte (CA-23). This bill seeks to codify the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program and retain U.S.-trained talent. The OPT program is an employment authorization for international students educated at American institutions. It provides temporary work authorization for F-1 visa students to work in their field of study for up to 12 months after graduation. Students with qualifying Science, Technology, Engineering, or Math (STEM) degrees may apply for a 24-month extension, totaling 3 years of work authorization. The Trump administration has signaled its intention to eliminate the OPT program, which would harm international students and push U.S. developed talent to other nations. The Keep Innovators in America Act would codify OPT into law, which shifts the program from regulation at DHS to a formalized statute in the Immigration and Nationality Act. This will prevent the program from being restricted or eliminated by the Trump Administration or any other future presidential administration without an act of Congress. Further, it would provide certainty for international students and give them a clearer pathway to permanent residency. Recommendation: Support H.R. 8013, urge opposition to threats to the OPT program, encourage support for F-1 students, and ask members to cosponsor the Keep Innovators in America Act.