June 16 Federal Update: Senate Reconsiders Key Sections of the House-Passed Appropriations Bill 

The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee released draft legislative text to amend the appropriations bill. If passed, the provisions would significantly impact student loan borrowers. 

The Senate’s proposal includes: 

• Revoking federal financial aid from college programs that can’t prove their graduates are earning more income than they would have without a degree
• Ending the ability to defer debt payments when borrowers experience economic hardship and unemployment
• Eliminating the Saving on a Valuable Education, or SAVE, program and the Grad PLUS loan program

U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry additionally proposed changes that are expected to significantly limit access to nutrition programs. 

• Removing a provision that would have exempted veterans, individuals experiencing homelessness, and those under the age of 24 who aged out of foster care at age 18 from work requirements to receive SNAP benefits
• Reducing matching funds offered to state agencies according to SNAP Quality Control Payment Error Rates
• Eliminating the National Education and Obesity Prevention Grant Program once FY25 funding is fulfilled

As the Senate deliberates, it is important to make your voice heard. Social Current has created an issue summary and a sample message to send to your senators. Take action today!

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Reconstitutes the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices 

On June 9, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the removal of all 17 sitting members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices (ACIP). ACIP makes recommendations on the safety, efficacy, and clinical need of vaccines to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  

The members will be replaced with individuals currently under the Department’s consideration. The Secretary affirmed the importance of ensuring that government scientific activities are informed by the most credible, reliable, and impartial scientific evidence available. 

Congressional Advisers Release Recommendations to Improve Access to Care for Children and Adults with Special Health Care Needs 

The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission issued their June 2025 report, outlining the following recommendations, 

• Require states to identify ways to transition minors with special health care needs to adult care to prevent the loss of Medicaid benefits when they age out of CHIP 
• Require state Medicaid and Title V agencies to mutually define the roles and responsibilities of the agencies in supporting the transitions from pediatric to adult care 
• Ensure children maintain appropriate access to residential behavioral health treatment services  

The Commission also highlighted barriers to accessing appropriate residential treatment, including limited availability of information, a lack of uniformity in assessing children’s need for residential behavioral health care, and workforce shortages. They further emphasized the harm caused by social stigma, limited provider availability, and prior authorization hurdles. 

House Committee on Homeland Security Investigates NGOs Offering Migrant Assistance 

The House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark Green (R-Tenn.) and Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability Chairman Josh Brecheen (R-Okla.) launched an investigation of more than 200 non-governmental organizations that provided services or support to migrants during the Biden-Harris Administration. 

The investigation was created to examine whether NGOs used federal funds to facilitate illegal immigration. The named organizations have been asked to complete a survey regarding the government grants, contracts, and disbursements they received. They’ve been asked to detail what material assistance they’ve offered, including through transportation, housing, and shelter services. They must also answer whether the organizations have sued the federal government or filed supporting documents against the U.S. government. 

House Committee on Oversight Hosts Hearing Regarding NGOs 

On June 4, the Delivering on Government Efficiency Subcommittee of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing titled, “Public Funds, Private Agendas: NGOs Gone Wild.”  

Subcommittee Chair Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) opened the hearing by maintaining that Democratic elected officials and appointees work closely with non-governmental organizations to advance a political agenda outside the will of Americans. Republican congressmembers and majority witnesses affirmed allegations of fraud and abuse of federal funds.  

Ranking Member Melanie Stansbury (D-Minn.) raised concerns for nonprofits, especially due to ongoing funding freezes, and the resulting challenges communities are facing. Democratic representatives shared similar concerns and, alongside the minority witness, Diane Yentel, the president and CEO of the National Council of Nonprofits, detailed the role of nonprofits and essential benefits they offer to their communities and the country as a whole.  

Sector Updates from the Judiciary   

U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Religious Tax Exemption 

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that, according to the First Amendment, it is unconstitutional to impose a denominational preference by differentiating between religions because of theological differences. 

The verdict follows a ruling from the Wisconsin Supreme Court that upheld Catholic Charities’ denial of an exemption from the state’s unemployment tax program. The Wisconsin Supreme Court determined that because the organization is not operated primarily for religious purposes within the state’s legal definition because it does not proselytize or limit their services to Catholics. The U.S. Supreme Court determined Catholic-affiliated charities were wrongly denied a religious exemption from having to pay into the state’s unemployment tax program. 

U.S. Supreme Court Unifies Standard for Students with Disabilities to Prove Discrimination 

The U.S. Supreme Court unanimously rejected requiring a higher burden of proof to demonstrate that students with disabilities have experienced discrimination. Previously, lawsuits required families to prove that the school system acted in bad faith or with gross misjudgment. The ruling is expected to facilitate children and their families’ ability to seek relief. 

Federal Court Denies Request to Halt Further Actions to Close the Institute of Museum and Library Services  

The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia responded to a lawsuit brought by the American Library Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees to stop the closure of the Institute of Museum and Library Services. U.S. District Judge Leon denied the Association’s request to halt further actions from the Trump Administration to close IMLS, maintaining the case should be heard in a separate court specifically for contractual claims. 

However, a separate order, following a lawsuit brought by several states, that prohibits the government from closing the Museum and Library Services Institute remains in place.