Editor’s note: Since publication, the Executive Office of the President issued a memorandum rescinding the previously announced funding freeze.
A federal judge temporarily halted an attempt by the Trump administration to freeze all federal funding and loans on Tuesday, which could have affected the University’s funds.
The White House Office of Management and Budget announced the funding pause to federal departments and services in a memorandum on Monday. The freeze was set to be temporary to identify and stop federal funding from being sent to efforts relating to diversity, equity and inclusion, “woke gender ideology” and the Green New Deal, according to the memo.
Loren AliKhan, a federal judge for the District of Columbia, temporarily ordered the Trump administration to continue providing funds already scheduled to be disbursed until at least Feb. 3 after the activist organization Democracy Forward sued the Office of Budget and Management on Tuesday in attempts to stop the funds from being halted. AliKhan scheduled a hearing on Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. CST to hear arguments on the case.
“This is not a blanket pause on federal assistance and grant programs from the Trump administration,” said Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary.
The order would not pause government aid given directly to individuals, such as Pell grants and student loans, Leavitt said. However, health centers and states reported being locked out of Medicaid, which around 70 million Americans are enrolled in.
Although the order could have paused funds disbursed to research projects, Dan Jaffe, vice president for research, said the University would not have to halt its federally sponsored research activities unless it received an order to do so from its sponsoring agency.
“UT Austin officials are monitoring and analyzing the federal government’s temporary pause on disbursement of federal funds for active grants, sponsored projects and loans,” Jaffe wrote in an email statement. “We don’t know the full impact of these developments on federally funded research. We expect the pause will be lifted once federal agencies review projects to ensure alignment with executive orders.”