Photo: Alamy
President Donald Trump and the NCAA are intensifying their push for Congress to approve bipartisan legislation establishing a national framework for college athletics before the 2026 football season.
The president urged lawmakers in a June 4 Truth Social post to pass comprehensive legislation addressing college sports, calling on both parties to work together.
“I urge the House and Senate to come together to pass a final Bipartisan Law, that I can sign this summer, that reflects the views and input of both chambers,” he wrote. “WE HAVE TO SAVE COLLEGE SPORTS!”
Later in June, the Senate Commerce Committee advanced the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, sponsored by Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell.
The legislation would establish nationwide standards for name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation, limit athletes to one penalty-free transfer, cap eligibility at five years, and prohibit schools from hiring coaches away from other programs during a season.
NCAA President Charlie Baker endorsed the proposal, saying college athletics needs consistent national rules.
“What we’re really trying to achieve is some sort of national framework so that you can have national championships and national competitions, in which, for all intents and purposes, everybody’s playing by the same set of rules,” Baker said during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.”
Despite bipartisan support in committee, the measure faces hurdles in both chambers of Congress.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise has expressed concerns that the Senate bill does not adequately address whether student-athletes could be classified as employees or sufficiently protect schools from litigation.
“I’m glad they’re doing some work on the Senate side,” Scalise told Politico. “But for the House to be able to take anything up, you got to prevent employment status of the student athletes.”
The proposal has also divided major college athletic conferences. The Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 Conference support the legislation, while the Southeastern Conference and Big Ten Conference oppose portions of the bill, arguing it does not sufficiently preempt varying state NIL laws and could alter the distribution of media rights revenue.