California Congressional Delegation
Dear Members of Congress:
On behalf of the University of California (UC) — an institution of over 300,000 students, 266,000 faculty and staff, and 2.5 million alumni across ten campuses and six academic health centers — I write to share the University’s fiscal year (FY) 2027 appropriations programmatic priorities. Thank you for your continued support of UC’s education, research, health care, and public service mission.
The federal government’s partnership with UC has always been vital. Today the significance of our work together is more important than ever given ongoing fiscal uncertainty. Reliable federal investment is essential to sustain innovation, protect America’s global leadership in science and technology, and support the students, researchers, and patients who depend on this partnership. These investments helped get UC to where it is today: America’s No. 1 public research university, as demonstrated by the five UC faculty and alumni who won Nobel Prizes in 2025 — the first time in history that four faculty from a single institution received the award in one year. In addition, UC enrolled more than 301,000 students for fall 2025, the largest student body in the system’s history, including over 200,000 California resident undergraduates — also a record. These numbers reflect the magnitude of the University’s role in educating California and the nation’s future workforce.
Your leadership in protecting facilities and administrative (F&A) reimbursement rates for federally sponsored research is vital to sustaining California’s capacity for innovation, life-saving research, high-quality jobs, and economic growth. The University urges your support in advancing the Financial Accountability in Research (FAIR) model proposed by the Joint Associations Group (JAG) on Indirect Costs in the FY 2027 appropriations process.
The enclosed documents outline UC’s FY 2027 federal appropriations programmatic priorities. I would also like to highlight several areas of particular importance:
Student Support: UC remains committed to ensuring that cost is not a barrier to a degree. Federal financial aid programs — especially the Pell Grant — are critical to that mission. We urge Congress to provide the highest possible funding level for the Pell Grant and to index it to inflation, while increasing investments in other critically important financial aid programs like Federal Work-Study and Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants. It is important that Congress continues to support programs that address students’ basic needs and provide critical support that strengthens the mission and value of our Minority-Serving Institutions. These investments have proven results: improving student retention and completion rates, expanding economic mobility, and building the skilled workforce that California and the nation depend on.
Research and Innovation: Sustained, strong investments in research agencies — including the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Energy’s Office of Science, and Department of Defense — are vital to the nation’s economic competitiveness and security. As global competitors increase research funding, the United States must continue to lead. UC encourages Congress to provide robust funding levels for science agencies, research infrastructure, technology transfer initiatives, and the future scientific workforce.
Health: UC academic health centers served patients from 99 percent of the state’s zip codes last year. Collectively, they are the largest provider of Medicaid inpatient care in the state and are a critical training ground for California’s future health care workforce. UC urges Congress to invest in programs, such as Health Resources and Services Administration’s Title VII and Title VIII, that address health workforce shortages and preserve funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which supports research that improves health care outcomes and safety. In addition, we look forward to working with you to ensure that the National Institutes of Health can balance the number of new awards and continuing grants with front-loaded multiyear funding, so the agency is able to fund new studies and breakthrough research every year.
Strategic investments in key federal agencies and programs enable the University to do what we do best: remain an engine of economic growth and innovation for California and the nation — and increase access to a high-quality education, scientific discovery, and world-class health care. Thank you again for your steadfast support of the University of California and for continuing to invest in the programs that strengthen our nation. The priorities outlined in the accompanying documents are listed by appropriations subcommittees for your consideration.
Sincerely,
James B. Milliken
President