Campus assessing federal memo related to agency funding
Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin, Provost Charles Isbell, Jr. and Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota Brzezinska sent the following message to faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers and graduate student researchers on Tuesday, January 28.
Dear faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers and graduate student researchers,
In a memo issued late Monday, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) called for a temporary pause of all federal agency grant, loan and other financial assistance programs. It also instructed federal agencies to perform a comprehensive analysis of financial assistance programs and supporting activities to ensure compliance with presidential policies and requirements.
Then, late today, a federal judge blocked that pause on open grant disbursements from going into effect until Monday.
The memo has created a great deal of understandable uncertainty for our campus, as well as for many others with whom we partner and rely, including state and local government, non-profit organizations and other entities that receive federal funding.
The potential impacts are significant and concerning for a campus of our size and scope, particularly given the depth of our commitment to research. Please know that we are actively assessing the OMB memo’s meaning, legality and impact, both with an internal workgroup and through close partnership with other leading research institutions. The National Institutes of Health today clarified that some activities are not subject to the pause, including ongoing clinical trials at NIH-funded institutions.
Despite the current uncertainty, we believe it is appropriate for federally-funded research activities at UW–Madison to continue and students and employees supported by federal funding should continue their normal activities. However, as Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota Brzezinska said in a message shared with the research community Friday, everyone should remain alert and adaptable as new information and directions become clear.
One exception is for instances where a stop-work order has been issued directly by a federal agency. We have received a small number of these orders, and in each case, Research and Sponsored Programs (RSP) has been reaching out directly to affected principal investigators.
In addition, please note that the OMB order does not apply to federal student financial aid, including Pell Grants and direct student loans. Most students have already had their disbursements posted and disbursements are expected to continue throughout the semester.
We recognize that the situation is fast moving and in flux. Campus leadership, our Federal Relations team, and others will continue to closely monitor developments and are actively coordinating with our state, federal and coalition partners.
Information is being collected and shared on the Federal Relations website and will be updated as more details become available.
Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin
Provost Charles Isbell, Jr.
Vice Chancellor for Research Dorota A. Grejner-Brzezinska