Update on Federal Grants/Assistance

Background

On January 27, the Trump administration issued memo M-25-13 for all federal agencies to temporarily freeze payments on all federal assistance and grants, including those issued to research entities, hospitals, universities, and community projects, while the administration conducts a review of these programs, ensuring that they align with President Trump’s recent executive orders halting programs on immigration, foreign aid, DEI, gender identity, and the environment. The pause was slated to begin at 5pm EST on Tuesday, January 28, with the internal programmatic review running through February 10. 

The Trump administration withdrew the memo on January 29, a day after a federal judge in Washington temporarily halted its implementation until Feb. 3 in response to a coalition lawsuit. However, the administration also stated that other funding freezes, pursuant to the provisions in the executive orders would still stand. 

On January 31, another federal court issued a nationwide injunction, temporarily blocking the administration from instituting a federal funding freeze through its executive orders and directing federal agencies to continue disbursing funds while the legal process plays out.  

APA/APASI Assessment

Per the federal court order issued on January 31, and based on the latest directives from federal agencies, federal funding should be flowing unimpeded. However, we are hearing reports that some grantees are still unable to access their funding and some agencies may still be reviewing grants for any language that contradicts the directives in the Executive Orders. Although the injunction applies to all federal funding, at this time we cannot be certain that the administration is applying it uniformly across all agencies. 

APA and APASI are monitoring this situation closely and keeping in contact with agency staff wherever possible. We will update this page as we continue to learn more during this quickly evolving situation.

What you can do if your funding is or might be affected

We suggest that you: 

• Keep up to date with the latest updates coming from your grantmaking agency. 
• If possible, stay in contact with your program officer. 
• Consult with your institution’s leadership, legal counsel, and government relations staff for situation-specific advice. 
• If you are currently able to draw down funds, consider doing so as soon as possible. 
• Continue sharing information with APA, as it will be useful in our advocacy efforts.