Senators moved this week to reject deep cuts proposed by the Trump administration and advanced a bipartisan package that would allocate $188.3 billion for scientific research, a 21.3% increase over the administration’s plan. The bill passed the Senate 82-15 after earlier House approval, sending a major research funding boost to the president’s desk. The legislative action also surfaced several campus-level consequences: the California College of the Arts announced closure plans and a transfer of its campus to Vanderbilt, Oregon regulators pushed public colleges toward “targeted institutional integration,” and Hampshire College flagged renewed financial distress in its audit. Those institutional shifts reflect immediate budgetary stress even as federal research funding rises. Advocates and university leaders will be watching appropriation and distribution details closely; increased research dollars can expand grants and facilities funding, but institutional closures and merger planning underscore that operating models and tuition dependence remain acute vulnerabilities for colleges and universities.