Guidance and News Related to Recent Executive Orders and Federal Actions

Updated: January 30, 2025

General Guidance from the VPR

January 30, 2025

As we continue to monitor and assess the directives and communications coming down from federal officials and funding agencies, here is my general advice to those of you carrying out grant-funded projects:

• Until and unless you are notified by the funder or by an OSU official to do otherwise, continue with business as usual.
• If you receive communications from the funder related to these matters, immediately pass those communications to your college Sponsored Programs Office.
• If instructed by the funder or by OSU officials to pause or cease any activities, work with your college Sponsored Programs Office to:
  • comply with those instructions as precisely as possible.
  • document any quantifiable damages to OSU faculty, staff, students, or units that are directly caused by the directive and/or our compliance with it (this is to aid us in keeping our elected officials apprised of the impacts).
• Stay tuned in to communications from my office (including this webpage) and your college Sponsored Programs Office as we learn more about—and share with you—how best to navigate these challenging waters.

Kenneth W. Sewell

Vice President for Research

Internal Communication and Guidance for OSU Faculty

As it is distributed, internal communication will be posted here.

• January 28, 2025, Memo from GCFA Director Bob Dixon to OSU sponsored programs staff

  All,

   

  Several agency notices have been hitting our email, and each email seems a little different since each agency has different interpretations on what may happen.

   

  The latest email is from OMB dated yesterday. Addressed to agency heads, OMB states that a “temporary pause related to obligation or disbursement of ALL federal assistance” is in effect as of 5 PM January 28.  The memo also states that agencies must provide detailed information to OMB by February 10 on their plans to meet the new administration’s priorities on grants, loans, etc.

   

  For past activities/expenditures—

  As a point of caution for incurred costs, we are treating this pause like a government shutdown and taking the same course of action we would use during a shutdown. As such, OSU will draw any and all expenditures available/approved as of today prior to the 5 PM pause. Additionally, for the Department of Education expenditures, we are estimating potential expenditures through mid-February and including that estimation in today’s draw. We are hopeful that by mid-February, all federal payment systems will return to normal operations.

   

  For proposals and pending awards—

  OSU will continue business as usual to process/submit proposals and awards received. Please continue and submit proposals and process awards as normal. However, agencies may not move forward until things become clearer in Washington, and your points of contact may not have the answers you need. They are also unsure what will happen. Be patient. This appears as more of a short-term challenge.

   

  For new awards and incremental funding—

  The agencies have paused new awards and incremental funding agreements for the short term. Consider this before incurring costs in case the agency reduces expected funding.

   

  Related Internal Communication—

  From Dr. Sewell’s email this afternoon

  “As we continue to monitor and assess the situation, here is the best advice I can offer at this juncture to those of you carrying out grant-funded projects:

  Until and unless you are notified by the funder or by an OSU official to do otherwise, continue with business as usual.
  If you receive communications from the funder related to these matters, immediately pass those communications to your college Sponsored Programs Office.
  If instructed by the funder or by OSU officials to pause or cease any activities, work with your college Sponsored Programs Office to:
  comply with those instructions as precisely as possible.
  document any quantifiable damages to OSU faculty, staff, students, or units that are directly caused by the directive and/or our compliance with it (this is to aid us in our efforts with elected officials to ameliorate this situation).
  Stay tuned in to communications from my office and your college Sponsored Programs Office as we learn more about—and share with you—how best to navigate these challenging waters.”

   

  Question, let me know.

   

  Bob

   

  Robert E. Dixon, Ed.D.

  Director, Grants and Contracts Financial Administration

  Oklahoma State University

  401 Whitehurst

  Stillwater, OK 74078

  (405) 744-6512

  robert.dixon@okstate.edu 

• January 28, 2025, Memo from VPR Sewell to OSU Principal Investigators with active grants

  OSU Colleagues,

   

  I’m sure most of you are aware of various actions at the federal level (presidential executive orders, memos from the Office of Management and Budget, etc.) that direct agencies to pause and/or cease certain types of grant funding while those programs are reviewed for alignment with the current administration’s policies. Understandably, questions abound among researchers at OSU (and those at universities all across the country) as everyone attempts to understand whether and/or how these actions could affect planned and ongoing grant-funded projects.

   

  Perhaps the most important thing to know at this point is that NO ONE yet knows the answers to the vast majority of questions these actions have provoked. Most of the federal agencies themselves are scrambling to understand how they will comply with these directives; as an example, we’ve been informed that NSF is holding meetings today with the goal of issuing some initial guidance by day’s end.

   

  As we continue to monitor and assess the situation, here is the best advice I can offer at this juncture to those of you carrying out grant-funded projects:

  • Until and unless you are notified by the funder or by an OSU official to do otherwise, continue with business as usual.
  • If you receive communications from the funder related to these matters, immediately pass those communications to your college Sponsored Programs Office.
  • If instructed by the funder or by OSU officials to pause or cease any activities, work with your college Sponsored Programs Office to:
    • comply with those instructions as precisely as possible.
    • document any quantifiable damages to OSU faculty, staff, students, or units that are directly caused by the directive and/or our compliance with it (this is to aid us in our efforts with elected officials to ameliorate this situation).
  • Stay tuned in to communications from my office and your college Sponsored Programs Office as we learn more about—and share with you—how best to navigate these challenging waters.

  As always, I end with an expression of my gratitude for all you do to make OSU an even greater research university. Even in these times of stress and uncertainty, you amaze me with your passion and resilient commitment to our shared mission.

   

  In close touch,

  Kenneth

  ____________________________

  Kenneth W. Sewell, Ph.D.

  Vice President for Research

  Oklahoma State University

   

Information and Resources from the Council on Government Relations (COGR)

The Council on Goverment Relations (COGR), of which OSU is a member, has created a helpful resource website with all available agency memos on the presidential transition. 

COGR's Links to Executive Orders and Related Resources

COGR's Summary Tracker of Executive Orders (Excel)

COGR's List of Federal Sponsor Agencies' Directives and Memoranda

COGR's Links to Relevant News Articles

COGR's Links to Other Universities' Communications on Federal Funding Updates

Information and Resources from the APLU Council on Research (COR)

The APLU's Council on Research (COR) has distributed memo to member institutions. OSU's Vice President for Research, Dr. Kenneth Sewell, is a member of COR's Executive Committee.

• January 29, 2025, Memo to COR Members: Rescission of OMB Memo Freezing Federal Grants

  COR Community,

  The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has rescinded M-25-13, the original OMB memo from Jan 27th that called for a blanket temporary pause of federal agency grants. This rescission does not rescind any other memo or executive order, so agencies will still be reviewing existing grants for compliance with other EOs.  Additionally, any previously announced agency communication pauses are still in place.  We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as they are available. 

  ---

   

  Kevin C. Cooke, Ph.D.

  Director, Research Policy

  Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

  1220 L Street NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20005

• January 28, 2025, Memo to COR Members: NSF Message to PI Community

  COR Community,

  NSF just shared this message (including a link to a webform) linked and copied below.  

  -------------------

   

  NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders | NSF - National Science Foundation

   

  Message to the NSF PI Community

  Jan. 28, 2025

  Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Memorandum M-25-13, issued on January 27, 2025, directs all Federal agencies to conduct a comprehensive review of their financial assistance programs to determine programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by the recent Executive Orders. Therefore, all review panels, new awards, and all payments of funds under open awards will be paused as the agency conducts the required reviews and analysis. NSF has created an executive order implementation webpage to ensure the widest dissemination of information and updates. We will continue to communicate with you as we receive additional guidance.

  All NSF grantees must comply with these Executive Orders, and any other relevant Executive Orders issued, by ceasing all non-compliant grant and award activities. Executive Orders are posted at whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions. In particular, this may include, but is not limited to conferences, trainings, workshops, considerations for staffing and participant selection, and any other grant activity that uses or promotes the use of DEIA principles and frameworks or violates Federal anti-discrimination laws. Please work with your institutional research office to assist you in complying with the Executive Orders. You can also direct your questions through this webform.

  Thank you for your work advancing science, engineering, technology and innovation for our nation.

  -------------------

   

  ---

  Deborah Altenburg

  Vice President, Research Policy & Advocacy

  Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

  1220 L Street NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20005

• January 28, 2025, Memo to COR Members: APLU Statement on Pause on Federal Grants

  COR Community,

  As many of you are aware, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a memo yesterday outlining a temporary pause of agency grant, loan, and other financial assistance programs.  APLU's President Mark Becker has released a public statement linked and copied below.  

  -------------------

   

  APLU Statement on Pause on Federal Grants - APLU

   

  Washington, DC – APLU President Mark Becker today released the following statement on the White House Office of Management and Budget’s memo directing federal agencies to pause federal grants.

  “The Office of Management and Budget memorandum ordering a temporary pause of federal grants is an overly broad mandate that is unnecessary and damaging. While we understand the Trump administration wants to review programs to ensure consistency with its priorities, it is imperative that the reviews not interfere with American innovation and competitiveness.

  “This action will sideline world-leading American scientists who are working toward cures for cancer, developing breakthroughs in AI and quantum computing, driving progress in advanced manufacturing, and supporting American farmers. It will have far-reaching impacts in every corner of the country and hamper American innovation at a moment when it’s being fiercely challenged on a global stage. OMB’s action has unnecessarily injected an enormous amount of confusion and uncertainty across the nation. We urge the Trump administration to reverse this sweeping order.”

  -------------------

   

  ---

  Kevin C. Cooke, Ph.D.

  Director, Research Policy

  Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

  1220 L Street NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20005

• January 28, 2025, Memo to COR Members: OMB Directive Freezing Programs and Loans

  COR Community,

  Late yesterday, OMB released a directive to federal agencies directing a “temporary pause [on] all activities related to obligation or disbursement of all Federal financial assistance, and other relevant agency activities that may be implicated by the executive orders…”  The freeze is effective tomorrow at 5pm ET. The freeze includes a pause on all activities “associated with open NOFOs, such as conducting merit review panels.” Agencies are further instructed to among other actions, cancel awards already awarded that are in conflict with Administration priorities. During the “temporary pause,” agencies are instructed to complete a comprehensive analysis of their programs and identify those that maybe be implicated by President Trump’s executive orders, reporting such to OMB by February 10. The directive does not apply to federal assistance provided directly to individuals.

   

  In short, as described in this Washington Post headline, “White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion.”
  White House pauses all federal grants, sparking confusion - The Washington Post

   

  I have heard that many agencies are having meetings this morning about the OMB memo and we are hopeful that further guidance on the treatment of existing grants will be forthcoming. We will share information as it becomes available.

   

  Also as a community resource if anyone has not seen this – COGR has put together a good resource with all available agency memos on the presidential transition. https://www.cogr.edu/2025-administration-transition-information-resources

  ---

   

  Deborah Altenburg

  Vice President, Research Policy & Advocacy

  Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU)

  1220 L Street NW, Suite 1000 | Washington, DC 20005