Sen. Bill Cassidy sent letters to 35 selective colleges and universities seeking multi-year data on first-year students’ math placement and remediation, launching a formal inquiry into whether K–12 preparation is eroding college-level math readiness. Cassidy cited a UC San Diego report showing increases in incoming students requiring remedial math as a prompt for oversight. At the same time, higher education institutions spent heavily on lobbying in 2025 to shape debates on financial aid, AI policy, international-student rules and other federal issues, according to sector reporting. Universities are using advocacy to respond to heightened congressional scrutiny over academic outcomes and accountability.