The Weekly Update

State Building Commission

The State Building Commission met last week and approved all the UW related items on the agenda.

You can view the full agenda on the website and the meeting minutes when available.

Please check back for future updates.

Select Committee on the CCP Report

Last week, the House Select Committee on the CCP and the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence released a report titled, “Containment Breach: The U.S. Department of Energy's Failures in Research Security and Protecting Taxpayer-Funded Research from Foreign Exploitation.” 

For more, you can review the Select Committee on the CCP’s press release.

FAFSA Update

Last week, the Department of Education announced that “more than 5 million 2026–27 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) forms have been successfully submitted by students and families across the country, a nearly 150% increase in the number of applications submitted at the same time last year.”

At the time of the announcement, Secretary McMahon said, “Completing the FAFSA form is a critical first step in many postsecondary education journeys. And just two short years ago, not a single American student had completed the FAFSA form by December 17th. Contrast that with today, where 5 million aspiring college students have not only started, but successfully completed and submitted their FAFSA forms. Our extraordinarily talented FAFSA team has redesigned and streamlined the form, all while launching the earliest form in history – a huge win for students and families.” 

For more on this news, you can review the Department’s press release. For more on the FAFSA itself, you can review: fafsa.gov/fafsacentral, which is also linked to in the Department’s press release.

Appropriations Update

Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) announced an agreement with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) on funding allocations for the remaining FY26 appropriations bills.

At the time of the announcement Chairman Cole said in part, “This agreement provides a strong fiscal framework to complete FY26 and reflects our commitment to governing with clarity, effectiveness, and purpose. With fiscal responsibility guiding our work, we are advancing the appropriations process in a way that saves American taxpayer dollars. Our total funding allocation will be below the funding level projected in the continuing resolution for FY26, set to expire on January 30. This pathway forward aligns with President Trump’s clear direction to rein in runaway, beltway-driven spending. We will now begin expeditiously drafting the remaining nine full-year bills to ensure we are ready to complete our work in January.”

For more, you can review the House Appropriations Committee press release.

House and Senate Floor Schedules

The House of Representatives and Senate are in scheduled district and state work periods. Both chambers are scheduled to return to Washington for votes the week of January 5, 2026.