GW Weekly Federal Update (April 3)

GW Updates

• On April 1, the GW International Services Office provided additional immigration and safety information for the university’s international community. Tips include using caution and consulting with ISO prior to international travel; carrying proof of immigration registration at all times; learning about the government’s collection of digital information; reviewing guidance on your rights from the American Immigration Lawyers Association and ACLU; and consulting with qualified external immigration counsel on any legal questions or concerns. The university continues to provide guidance for GW staff in the event of an unannounced visit by immigration enforcement officials.

Federal Updates

• On April 2, several associations and individual researchers filed a complaint against the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts, challenging NIH’s termination of over $2.4 billion in grants and asking the court to prevent NIH “from terminating any grants based on allegedly no longer effectuating agency priorities, or withholding review of applications.”
   
• On April 1, Princeton University announced that the Trump administration was suspending several dozen federal research grants. News reports, citing a message from Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber, said the rationale for the suspension was not clear but that Princeton will comply with the law while defending academic freedom and its due process rights.
   
• On March 31, the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism announced it would review more than $255 million in federal contracts and $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments to Harvard University and its affiliates “to ensure the university is in compliance with federal regulations, including its civil rights responsibilities.” Education Secretary Linda McMahon cited failure to protect students from antisemitism and promotion of “divisive ideologies over free inquiry” among the reasons for the review.
   
• On March 28, Columbia University Interim President Katrina Armstrong resigned, and Claire Shipman, the co-chair of the university's Board of Trustees, was named acting president. Dr. Armstrong was facing criticism from faculty on the proposed agreement with the Trump administration to restore $400 million in federal funding. The administration became skeptical of the university leadership’s commitment to the proposed agreement after a leaked transcript of a faculty meeting seemed to show leadership downplaying the proposal.
   
• On March 31, the Trump Administration informed Planned Parenthood that it is withholding tens of millions of dollars from clinics that provide contraception, STI testing and other health services, citing, among other things, the clinics’ mission statements and other public documents that stress a “commitment to Black communities” as evidence of their noncompliance with the Administration's DEI Executive Orders.
   
• On March 28, the U.S. Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, ruled that the Trump Administration likely has the authority to remove members of the National Labor Relations Board and Merit Systems Protection Board—both independent agencies—without cause. The decision reversed for the time being district court orders requiring that the members be reinstated while the merits of the case are litigated. The practical effect of the decision is that neither the NLRB nor the MSPB currently have enough members to hear cases.
   
• Last week, the Senate voted to confirm Michael Kratsios as the director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and Jay Bhattacharya as the director of the NIH. President Trump tasked Director Kratsios with securing the United States’ position as a world leader in critical and emerging technologies, revitalizing the nation’s science and technology enterprise and ensuring that innovation fuels economic growth. 
   
• Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it is undergoing a “dramatic restructuring in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order, ‘Implementing the President’s Department of Government Efficiency Workforce Optimization Initiative.’ ” The changes include firing 10,000 employees, eliminating divisions and regional offices and centralizing departments.
  
  Specifically, HHS said that it will reduce its workforce from 82,000 to 62,000 full-time employees. According to an HHS fact sheet, the National Institutes of Health “will decrease its workforce by approximately 1,200 employees by centralizing procurement, human resources and communications across its 27 institutes and centers.” HHS also said that it will consolidate the department’s 28 divisions into 15 new divisions and reduce regional offices from 10 to five.
  
  Separately, on April 1, attorneys general from 23 states filed a complaint against the Trump Administration, claiming that the HHS decision to cut $11 billion of public health funding exceeded “statutory and regulatory authority” and requesting that the court enjoin the rescission of funds.

Resources and Reminders

About this Newsletter

To ensure that students, faculty and staff feel supported and informed about how federal developments affect higher education and GW, the university launched a weekly Federal Update. This newsletter shares timely information, addresses questions and provides resources.