Federal Relations

Federal Relations serves as the primary link to the federal government, working regularly with Congress, the White House and federal agencies on matters that affect the University of Maryland and higher education.

To learn more about our Federal work, please view the following:

View Federal Lobbying Guidelines

The purpose of this Guidance is to facilitate implementation of LDA reporting requirements at the University and to outline the rights and obligations of University employees who lobby federal government officials.

View UMD Lobbying Guidelines

Faculty and staff that are interested in obtaining federal or state funding for university initiatives are required to follow this guidance.

Click to view Alumni Advocacy Network

Through two distinct programs—UMD Champions and the Terp Advocacy Network—the network works to empower alumni and supporters to raise their voices on behalf of the University of Maryland.

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Federal Relations Updates

Debt Ceiling Bill Signed into Law 

On June 3, 2023, President Biden signed the Fiscal Responsibility Act (H.R. 3476) into law, suspending the debt ceiling until 2025 and setting total defense and non-defense funding levels for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 and FY 2025. While the agreement was ...

Congress Passes FY 2023 Funding Bills

On December 23, 2022, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations package for FY 2023 that provides significant funding increases for various research and education programs of priority to the university. With the passage of the CHIPS and Science Act ...

Congress Passes CHIPS and Science Act

The U.S. House and Senate have passed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, which authorizes significant funding increases and creates new research programs and research center opportunities through federal science agencies such as the National Science ...

Congress Passes FY 2022 Funding Bills

On March 11, 2022, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations package for FY 2022 with strong bipartisan support that provides some significant funding increases for various research and education programs of priority to the university.  The ...

Major Science Legislation Moving Through Congress

The U.S. House and Senate are working to pass major science and innovation legislation that would authorize significant funding increases and create new research programs and research center opportunities through federal science agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), among others.  The Senate passed the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) in June of 2021 and the House passed corresponding legislation, entitled the America COMPETES Act, on February 4th, 2022.

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