A message from the Leadership Team on Federal Actions.
March 13, 2025
Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:
The University of Rhode Island is closely monitoring recent federal actions, including layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education, and preparing for the possibility of a federal government shutdown.
Department of Education cuts
On Tuesday evening, the Trump administration announced significant cuts to the U.S. Department of Education workforce. We are working to understand the immediate and long-term implications of these cuts and assess what this means for URI and our students. We continue to be in close contact with national higher education organizations, including the American Council on Education and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.
Potential federal government shutdown
Regarding a possible government shutdown, congressional lawmakers have until the end of the day Friday, March 14, to pass a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government. If a funding bill is not approved, all “non-essential” federal government operations will halt until a funding bill is passed and enacted.
URI receives significant federal funds for research, land- and sea-grant programs, and student financial aid. The University, through the work of the Leadership Team on Federal Actions and several University departments, has for several weeks been preparing for this possibility and its potential impact on the University and research activities.
The potential effects of a federal government shutdown could be more pronounced this year than in prior instances due to uncertainties around federal funding for research and recent staffing changes across the federal government.
Student aid: A short-term government shutdown likely will have limited, if any, immediate impact on URI educational services or financial aid programs. Financial aid has largely been disbursed for the current term.
Existing grants: If a shutdown occurs, researchers with active federally sponsored grants and contracts will need to limit grant-funded expenses to salaries and essential activities. Investigators may receive instructions or stop-work orders from their contracting or program officers; if you receive such information, please notify the sponsored projects office immediately at FederalFundingCommunications-group@uri.edu. The Division of Research and Economic Development has provided specific guidance to researchers and remains ready to respond to the needs of our research community.
Visas and passports: The State Department’s visa and passport operations are fee-funded and are not expected to be directly impacted by a government shutdown. It is possible, however, that services will function at a slower pace. Consular availability may be impacted.
During a government shutdown, the following activities are generally affected:
- Contact with federal employees: Due to furloughs, most federal employees will generally be unavailable for inquiries and support.
- Proposal submission: The Division of Research and Economic Development will continue to submit proposals, but proposal submission systems may become unavailable. Each federal agency will provide guidance on the status of the proposal submissions and whether submission deadlines will be revised.
- Peer reviews and council meetings: No peer reviews or council meetings will take place, which may have an impact on the evaluation and approval process of proposed projects.
- Awarded grants and cooperative agreements: Investigators should minimize costs to essential activities (salaries included) and follow any specific agency instructions.
- Federal contracts: Some contracts may be subject to stop-work orders. Determinations will be made by each agency on a contract-by-contract basis.
- New awards and contracts: New awards will not be issued and contracts will not be executed.
We are committed to minimizing, to the extent possible, impacts a shutdown may have on our education and research endeavors if one should occur.
We will continue to keep the campus community informed of any developments. Information will continue to be posted on our Federal Actions Updates webpage at uri.edu/federal-actions.