Federal Research Updates 2025

Updated Feb. 27, 2025 

This webpage will include updates and resources related to federal executive orders and actions impacting federally funded research. This page will be updated as new information becomes available. The Office of Research and Innovation will contact investigators who have active grants and contracts with agencies from which UNL has received direct communication and provide guidance on the next steps.  The Office of Sponsored Programs is available to answer questions about active projects. Investigators may reach out to their pre- or post-award contacts or email the main office at unlosp@unl.edu.

Latest information

Feb. 21: A federal judge extended the restraining order on the proposed 15% cap of indirect costs on National Institutes of Health-funded research.

Feb. 12: Multiple lawsuits have been filed in response to the National Institutes of Health’s cap on reimbursements of indirect costs. More information about pending legal action is available in the Additional resources and news articles section below.

Feb. 7: The National Institutes of Health announced that facilities and administrative costs, or indirect costs, will be capped at 15%. The policy applies to all current grants for go-forward expenses from Feb. 10, 2025, forward as well as for all new grants issued.

Feb. 3: Some federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation, have issued additional clarification on the temporary restraining order on M-25-13. The order paused the freeze on federal grants and contracts, and the Office of Management and Budget rescinded M-25-13.

Jan. 29: The Office of Management and Budget has rescinded M-25-13. Unless instructed otherwise, investigators should continue following any stop work orders/suspensions they have received from funding agencies. Executive orders remain in effect, and agencies are continuing to review existing grants for compliance.

University of Nebraska announcements 

• 2/20/2025 – Message from President Gold on OCR’s “Dear Colleague” letter
• 2/17/2025 – Message from President Gold on federal funding (USDA)
• 2/8/2025 – Message from President Gold on federal funding (NIH)
• 1/28/2025 – Message from Jennifer Nelson on federal funding
• 1/28/2025 – Message from President Gold on federal funding

Additional resources and news articles 

COGR: Administration Transition Information Resources webpage (updated frequently)
National Science Foundation: Implementation of Recent Executive Orders (updated frequently)
2/21/2025 – STAT: Federal judge extends restraining order on cap on NIH indirect costs
2/11/2025 – AAMC lawsuit results in nationwide temporary restraining order on proposed drastic cuts to NIH funding
2/10/2025 – APLU, AAU & ACE statement regarding their legal challenge to F&A reimbursements
2/8/2025 – Association of American Medical Colleges statement
1/29/2025 – Associated Press: Trump White House rescinds order freezing federal grants after widespread confusion
1/29/2025 – Associated Press: Federal judge temporarily blocks Trump administration freeze on federal grants and loans
1/28/2025 – APLU Statement on Pause on Federal Grants
1/28/2025 – Associated Press: Trump orders a funding freeze as his administration reviews federal loans and grants  
1/23/2025 – APLU overview of President Trump’s executive order  

Understanding indirect costs

Association of American Universities: F&A costs explainer (video)
AAU: Frequently asked questions about facilities and administrative (F&A) costs of federally sponsored university research
Council on Governmental Relations: FAQ guide on the costs of research (download)
Multiple agencies: Facilities & Administrative (F&A) costs of research one-pager (download)
Multiple agencies: Costs of federal research (infographic)

Federal agency communications  

Nebraska faculty who have grants or contracts impacted by these instructions will be contacted directly by the Office of Sponsored Programs. Principal investigators who receive communications about their project(s) directly from a funding agency should forward the message to unlosp@unl.edu. The following table includes a summary of memos the university has received. 

Agency	Date received	Memo	Description
AmeriCorps	2/11/2025	Executive order compliance update	No AmeriCorps funding may be spent on any activity not compliant with the executive orders and memoranda. The agency is reviewing all current awards to ensure alignment with these directives and administration priorities. Results of the review may require action from grantees and sponsors on a short turnaround time.
National Institutes of Health	2/7/2025	Supplemental guidance to the 2024 NIH grants policy statement: Indirect cost rates	For any new grant issued, and for all existing grants to IHEs retroactive to the date of issuance of this supplemental guidance, award recipients are subject to a 15 percent indirect cost rate. This policy shall be applied to all current grants for go-forward expenses from Feb. 10, 2025, forward as well as for all new grants issued.
National Science Foundation	2/1/2025	Temporary restraining order to federal grant-making agencies	Although the language of the temporary restraining order is directed at state-level institutions, the Department of Justice has determined that it applies to all NSF award recipients.
Department of Health and Human Services-Centers for Disease Control	1/31/2025	To implement the Executive Order entitled Defending Women From Gender Ideology Extremism And Restoring Biological Truth To The Federal Government	To implement the Executive Order, you must immediately terminate, to the maximum extent, all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts promoting or inculcating gender ideology at every level and activity, regardless of your location or the citizenship of employees or contractors, that are supported with funds from this award.
Department of Energy	1/31/2025	Suspension letter	Effective immediately, you shall suspend all DEI, CBP/PIER Plans and Justice40 activities associated with all financial assistance awards issued by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Science (SC), Consolidated Service Center – Office of Grants and Cooperative Agreements.
National Science Foundation	1/29/2025	NSF Implementation of Recent Executive Orders	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.
Department of Health and Human Services-Centers for Disease Control	1/29/2025	DEI-Restrictions-Domestic	To implement Executive Orders entitled Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing and Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Action, you must immediately terminate, to the maximum extent, all programs, personnel, activities, or contracts promoting “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) at every level and activity, regardless of your location or the citizenship of employees or contractors, that are supported with funds from this award. Any vestige, remnant, or re-named piece of any DEI programs funded by the U.S. government under this award are immediately, completely, and permanently terminated.
Office of Management and Budget	1/27/2025	Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan and Other Financial Assistance Programs	To implement these orders, each agency must complete a comprehensive analysis of all of their Federal financial assistance programs to identify programs, projects, and activities that may be implicated by any of the President’s executive orders. In the interim, to the extent permissible under applicable law, Federal agencies must temporarily pause 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, including, but not limited to, financial assistance for foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI, woke gender ideology, and the Green New Deal.
U.S. Department of Energy	1/27/2025	Cease all activities associated with DEI and CBP	Recipients and subrecipients must cease any activities, including contracted activities, and stop incurring costs associated with DEI and CBP activities effective as of the date of this letter for all DOE grants, cooperative agreements, loans, loan guarantees, cost sharing agreements, or other DOE funding of any kind. Recipients are responsible for communicating and enforcing this direction with all subrecipients and contractors.
U.S. Agency for International Development	1/27/2025	Suspension of Award Implementation	This notice applies to all assistance awards (e.g., cooperative agreements and grants) issued by USAID/M/OAA/REFS in support of USAID’s Bureau for Resilience, Environment, and Food Security. Suspend Performance. The Agreement Officer hereby issues this order for award recipients to immediately suspend performance (See 2 CFR 700.14) under the agreement between your organization and USAID.
Department of Energy	1/23/2025	Cease all activities associated with DEI and CBP	NASA Contractors and Grantees immediately shall cease and desist all DEIA activities required of their contracts or grants. In accordance with FAR 52.242-15, Stop Work clause, a stop work order may have been issued to stop all or any part of the DEIA related activity.
NASA	1/23/2025	Initial Guidance Regarding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) Executive Orders	NASA Contractors and Grantees immediately shall cease and desist all DEIA activities required of their contracts or grants. In accordance with FAR 52.242-15, Stop Work clause, a stop work order may have been issued to stop all or any part of the DEIA related activity. This work may include but is not limited to: DEIA plan requirement, training, reporting, considerations for staffing, or any other direct or indirect contract or grant activity.
Department of Labor	1/23/2025	Department of Labor guidance	Effective immediately, all recipients of federal financial assistance are directed to cease all activities related to “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) or “diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility” (DEIA) under their federal awards, consistent with the requirements of the Executive Orders titled, “Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing,” issued on January 20, 2025, and “Ending Illegal Discrimination and Restoring Merit-Based Opportunity,” issued on January 21, 2025.
National Institutes of Health	1/21/2025	Immediate Pause on Issuing Documents and Public Communications – ACTION	As the new Administration considers its plan for managing the federal policy and public communications processes, it is important that the President’s appointees and designees have the opportunity to review and approve any regulations, guidance documents, and other public documents and communications (including social media).