Dear colleagues,
I’m reaching out to share two legal updates that occurred over the weekend, and to assure you that our federal relations staff are continuing to engage with members of Congress on policy and staffing issues that may impact our research enterprise.
A preliminary injunction was issued in Maryland, which prevents the federal administration from enacting key portions of the DEI executive order. This order prevents agencies from implementing pauses, freezes, or cancellation of current obligations because of the Executive Order.
A separate temporary restraining order that was set to expire today about indirect costs at NIH was extended. The order prevents the implementation of 15% F&A at NIH until the judge determines the next steps. As a result, we are continuing to submit federal proposals according to our negotiated indirect cost rate. We are also continuing to study and share the potential impacts of policy changes related to indirect costs with our stakeholders.
Our guidance for campus remains the same; researchers should continue work on their projects unless they are told to stop. If researchers receive stop work orders, requests for certificates of compliance, or terminations, they should first confer with the Division of Sponsored Programs to ensure that they are following the most up to date legal information. If you have questions about your award with a DEI component, you may reach out to grant accounting to discuss your budget.
Please continue to check the 2025 Federal Updates website for the latest information about federal-level and agency-wide actions.
Lois Geist
Interim Vice President for Research
Dear colleagues,
I’m reaching out to share two legal updates that occurred over the weekend, and to assure you that our federal relations staff are continuing to engage with members of Congress on policy and staffing issues that may impact our research enterprise.
A preliminary injunction was issued in Maryland, which prevents the federal administration from enacting key portions of the DEI executive order. This order prevents agencies from implementing pauses, freezes, or cancellation of current obligations because of the Executive Order.
A separate temporary restraining order that was set to expire today about indirect costs at NIH was extended. The order prevents the implementation of 15% F&A at NIH until the judge determines the next steps. As a result, we are continuing to submit federal proposals according to our negotiated indirect cost rate. We are also continuing to study and share the potential impacts of policy changes related to indirect costs with our stakeholders.
Our guidance for campus remains the same; researchers should continue work on their projects unless they are told to stop. If researchers receive stop work orders, requests for certificates of compliance, or terminations, they should first confer with the Division of Sponsored Programs to ensure that they are following the most up to date legal information. If you have questions about your award with a DEI component, you may reach out to grant accounting to discuss your budget.
Please continue to check the 2025 Federal Updates website for the latest information about federal-level and agency-wide actions.
Lois Geist
Interim Vice President for Research
