February 6, 2025
Two U.S. District Court judges have issued temporary restraining orders that prevent federal agencies from taking any action against awards or obligations based on the Office of Management and Budget Memo and the President’s Executive Orders. As always, agencies may pause awards or obligations provided the action complies with the terms and conditions in the Notice of Award or funding agreement. They cannot base these decisions on the OMB Memo or the President’s Executive Orders.
Federal agencies that fund our research are proceeding in accordance with the temporary restraining orders. Additionally, the Office of Sponsored Research Services now can submit grant applications to funding agencies for review, and Sponsored Projects Accounting is once again able to obtain reimbursement for expenses related to funded research.
Please note that the Courts’ Orders are temporary as litigation is ongoing. The timeline for this process is up to the Courts. We do not know when decisions will be made.
While the litigation moves forward, you should comply with the terms and conditions of your grant awards and conduct the work you were contracted to do. Recipients of subawards who received a stop work order from the primary institution should discontinue work on the subaward and contact the awarding institution to determine when they can resume work on the subcontract.
We will continue to monitor the situation and communicate any new developments as they occur. Thank you all for your patience and understanding as we work through these disruptive times.
Mark E. Lowe, MD, PhD
Vice Chancellor for Research
Associate Dean for Research, School of Medicine
Harvey R. Colten Professor of Pediatric Science