January 29, 2019
Many federal departments and agencies will reopen on Monday, Jan. 28, 2019 following an Agreement for a three-week extension of current funding levels.
Agencies closed since late December include NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Department of Commerce, which includes agencies such as National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
We are cognizant that there is significant work waiting to be done by agencies as they reopen. NSF will start processing routine award transactions that were frozen, resuming conversations with scientists with questions about both current awards as well as upcoming competitions, and rescheduling review panels that were canceled during the shutdown. In addition, pending actions at NSF include making decisions on new awards, scheduling panel meetings to review the next round of proposals, and fleshing out plans for new initiatives. At other agencies, initial tasks could include reopening websites that provide publicly available data and restarting research projects. We also are cognizant that NSF and other affected agencies may choose to delay some resumption actions until they see what happens in discussions over the next few weeks within Congress and the White House.
Meanwhile, OSU’s Office for Sponsored Research and Award Administration will continue to operate business as usual, processing all proposals, awards and other transactions, as was the case during the recent federal shutdown
December 21, 2018
Oregon State community members,
As you are likely aware, Congress has not passed legislation to fund some federal government operations starting Saturday, Dec. 22. If funding legislation has not been adopted by that time, approximately one-quarter of the federal government’s departments and agencies will cease non-essential operations until funding is restored.
We are closely monitoring this situation. At this time, there is no certainty that a funding agreement with the White House will be reached in time to avoid a partial federal government shutdown.
As you know, Oregon State University receives significant federal funds for research, land grant programs, and student financial aid. We are evaluating the possible impact of a government shutdown on all aspects of university operations and preparing for any possible outcome.
University officials remain in frequent communication with members of Oregon’s Congressional delegation and other federal leaders regarding the importance of ensuring the government continues to operate without interruption.
Meanwhile, we are aware that the U.S. departments of Education and Veteran Affairs have already received full fiscal-year funding, and that there will be no disruption to financial aid or veterans’ benefits. As well, the U.S. departments of Energy and Defense also have received full fiscal-year funding, so there will be no disruptions to facility operations or research under these departments.
For more information on the implications of the shutdown on research and to access information that provides all federal agency shutdown contingency plans, visit the Agency Contingency Plans Website.
We will keep you informed of further details regarding federal budgetary actions and their effect on OSU operations. As always, we are committed to efforts to minimize any impact on OSU’s community, research and land grant programs.