Governmental Affairs Updates from AAVMC

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Winter 2026

NIFA Accepts Applications for Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program

The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is now accepting applications for its Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP). The program comes at a critical time, as shortages of food animal veterinarians persist in both private and public practice—particularly in rural communities—an issue underscored in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s recent Rural Veterinary Action Plan.

The VMLRP helps qualified veterinarians offset a significant portion of the debt incurred in pursuit of their veterinary medical degrees in return for their service in certain high-priority veterinary shortage situations.

VMLRP awardees commit to providing at least three years of food animal veterinary services in a designated veterinary shortage situation in return for payments of up to $40,000 of student loan debt per year with a maximum of $120,000 for a three-year contract. Additional funding to offset taxes is also provided.

Awardees are eligible to reapply to continue to serve their originally awarded shortage situation in the last year of their agreement or one year after their agreement ends. Previous awardees with a start date of January 1, 2022 (FY 2021), January 1, 2023 (FY 2022), or January 1, 2024 (FY 2023) may apply for renewal to their original shortage situation.

The deadline for Letter of Intent is February 19, 2026, and the application deadline is March 5, 2026. Read more

Bonus Opportunity

NIFA staff will hold a Technical Assistance Webinar on Tuesday, February 3, at 3:30 p.m. ET to discuss the VMLRP. Register here

NIFA Announces Grants Available to Mitigate Rural Veterinarian Shortages

Applications are now being accepted for NIFA's Veterinary Services Grant Program (VSGP). The purpose of VSGP is to develop, implement, and sustain veterinary services and relieve veterinarian shortages in the U.S., which includes insular areas. Applications are due April 16, 2026. Read more

DOE Concludes Higher Education Reform Rulemaking Sessions

The U.S. Department of Education (DOE) concluded its final negotiated rulemaking session on what it called Accountability in Higher Education and Access Through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD). The new rule incorporates standards for Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment and sets specific metrics for institutions of higher education to meet or lose access to federal student loan programs. Read more

DOE Delays Wage Garnishment for Student Loans

DOE announced it will delay garnishing the wages of borrowers who were delinquent on their student loan payments. The delay will enable DOE to implement major student loan repayment reforms under the Working Families Tax Cuts Act to give borrowers more options to repay their loans. Read more

USDA Announces New Presidential Appointments

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins announced a new slate of presidential appointments to key positions at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). These appointments are some of the key individuals that we work with on many issues. While career USDA employees are important, the political positions are responsible for carrying out the administration's agenda. Read more

Budget Momentum Stalls as DHS Funding Dispute Threatens Federal Government Shutdown

Over the past two weeks, congressional appropriators advanced six budget bills to fund the remainder of the federal government—a development that once seemed unlikely. However, after this weekend’s fatal shooting of a Minneapolis resident by a U.S. Border Patrol agent, the second such killing by federal immigration enforcement in the city this month, the path to passing these bills in the Senate and sending them to the White House has become significantly more uncertain.

Last week, the House officially passed a six-bill “mini-bus,” clearing a major hurdle, despite holdups in the Rules Committee and disputes over Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding. The package of six appropriations bills looked headed to the Senate for a vote. But Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced over the weekend that Senate Democrats will block the package if DHS appropriations—which cover both Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement—remain in the package.

Now, Congress has until Friday to avoid another federal government shutdown. Schumer says Democrats may advance the package only if DHS appropriations are removed. But removing the DHS funding bill would require unanimous consent, meaning all Senators would have to agree. Any changes to the bill also means the House would have to vote on it again. The House is not in session this week and will not reconvene until February 2. At this point, it is increasingly likely that a short-term, partial shutdown may take place. Read more

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Ruling Against NIH Indirect Cost Cap

On January 5, a federal appeals court issued a unanimous opinion upholding a lower court ruling that National Institutes of Health (NIH) could not unilaterally implement a 15 percent cap on “indirect” cost reimbursements for research grants. The court concluded that the NIH policy was contrary to Congressional language prohibiting such a change, and that NIH failed to follow its own regulations when it issued the notice on February 7, 2025. Read more

Advocacy Letters

AAVMC works closely with organizations interested in advancing academic veterinary medicine, food security, and public health. The letters below reflect some of that recent activity.

AAVMC Governmental Affairs

Contact Kevin Cain, AAVMC Senior Director for Governmental Affairs, with any comments, questions, or suggestions about our program.

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AAVMC strives to create a culture of diversity and inclusion in every dimension of academic veterinary medicine. To foster this goal, the photographs and illustrations in our communications programs are aspirational, and do not necessarily reflect the levels of diversity and inclusion that currently exist.