Senators approved bipartisan measures that put $188.3 billion toward scientific research — about 21.3% more than the administration had proposed — rejecting steep cuts sought in the White House budget. The measures passed the Senate overwhelmingly and follow a bipartisan House vote, signaling strong congressional support for federal research funding. The week-in-review also flagged sector shocks: the planned closure of California College of the Arts and warnings about potential mergers and targeted institutional integration in states like Oregon. The Senate action preserves major funding streams for university labs but leaves institutions facing other pressures: enrollment shifts, campus consolidations and state-level political constraints.