Updates on Federal Executive Orders and Research Activities

This webpage is dynamic and updated frequently. Please check back often.

Last updated August 20, 2025

 

Federal advocacy presentation by COGR President Matt Owens

Please join us as we host COGR President Matt Owens on Wednesday, September 10, from 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. in the Beetham Seminar Room for a public talk on federal research advocacy and efforts to sustain university research infrastructure in the current climate.

Registration is required for both in-person and online attendance. You will be able to indicate your preferred modality when registering.

 

Guidelines for the Research Community

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (OVPRI) continues to monitor the 2025 presidential administration transition. Below are some helpful guidelines.

  • Closely monitor obligated budget balances to avoid deficits while awaiting future obligations. Anticipated future funding remains subject to availability of funds and should not be considered guaranteed.
  • If you are waiting to hear back from a program officer, please be aware they may not be able to respond during the agency communications pause.
  • Ensure all technical reports and deliverables are submitted by their due dates and prioritize the submission of any that are past due.
  • Monitor policy updates: Keep an eye on announcements from the federal agency overseeing your grant for any updates on funding or compliance requirements.
  • Principal investigators are encouraged to ensure that they have access to and control over datasets.
  • Continue to submit proposals. Closely monitor the funding announcement to see if the proposal criteria changes.
  • OVPRI and the Office of General Counsel ask that you forward any communications from granting agencies relating to stop work orders, modifications to existing grants, requests for attestations, and spending justification requests.

OVPRI has adopted a process to appeal the termination of contracts and grants by federal agencies (requires DuckID to log in).

Additionally, the UO continues to monitor and communicate any immigration updates, and their potential impact to our international, Dreamer, and undocumented students, faculty, and staff.

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Recent Federal Actions

Past Federal Actions
Statements in Response to Federal Actions

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Resources for Researchers

At this time, the Council on Government Relations (COGR) is providing the most complete guidance on how the executive orders could affect operations, including a summary of executive orders. COGR's mission is to empower an unparalleled US academic research ecosystem by advancing sound federal policies and regulations that are vital to US science and innovation leadership and our nation’s health, security, and prosperity. Request access to the COGR membership portal.

Please note this page is dynamic and information could be incomplete.

The Chronicle of Higher Education is tracking the actions of President Trump's administration that affect higher education. Chronicle of Higher Education's Trump's Agenda for Higher Ed Tracker (sign in with your DuckID to access Chronicle content)

The Chronicle is also tracking the development of an indirect costs (also known as facilities and administrative, or F&A) model. Read more about the Financial Accountability in Research (FAIR) model (requires UO VPN or account to access).

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has compiled a fiscal year (FY) 2026 research and development appropriations dashboard. It compares the White House, House, and Senate spending proposals for science and technology programs in FY 2026.

FAQs for Researchers

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Email Updates

The OVPRI plans to send weekly email updates on Wednesdays.

The following message was sent to graduate students, tenure track and research faculty, department grant administrators, OVPRI centers and institutes, core facility staff, Government and Community Relations, Office of General Counsel, and OVPRI staff on Wednesday, August 20.

Federal judge rules the dismantling of DEI initiatives unlawful

Tracking Terminations and Appeals

  • Grant terminations received: 17, totaling $1.03 million
  • Relevant agencies: NEA, NEH, NSF, Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Active appeals: 12
  • Terminations lifted: 12 (NIH: 11; NSF: 1), totaling $6.1 million

These figures are current as of 8/20.

Late last week, a federal judge ruled that the US Department of Education’s attempt to bar diversity programs on college campuses was unlawful. The judge noted that her ruling was rooted in the process the Trump administration undertook to dismantle DEI initiatives. She wrote that attempting to withhold federal grant funding via an executive order and a “Dear Colleague” letter violated the Constitution: “The government cannot proclaim that it ‘will no longer tolerate’ speech it dislikes because of its ‘motivating ideology’—that is a ‘blatant’ and ‘egregious’ violation of the First Amendment.” 

On August 15, National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya issued a statement on his priorities for the agency. Additionally, because NIH staff have been directed to review all funding announcements, applications, active grants, and in-house studies to determine their alignment with agency priorities, we anticipate a delay in proposal reviews.

Prior Emails

 

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