Federal Updates

Last week, President Trump signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026. 11 of the 12 regular appropriations bills are now enacted for FY26, with the exception of the Homeland Security appropriations bill. The likelihood of a partial government shutdown is high, though we do not anticipate any significant impacts on UW–Madison’s operations.

During the Board of Regents meeting last week, Chancellor Jennifer L. Mnookin shared an update regarding federal research funding changes over the past year.

University leadership and the Office of Federal Relations continue to closely monitor the state of federal funding. At this point, it remains an incredibly fluid situation.

UW–Madison remains committed to keeping our community informed so all can navigate rights, responsibilities and resources related to law and policy.

On Monday, January 5, a panel of appellate judges unanimously upheld a lower court ruling blocking the National Institutes of Health from implementing a standard 15% facilities and administrative (F&A) rate across all NIH grants for indirect costs. The decision maintains current reimbursement rates, ensuring continued access to essential funding for annual expenses.

An update on UW–Madison’s participation in legal challenges to prevent wrongful funding cuts, grant terminations and delays.

Yesterday, over 400 business leaders across the country sent a letter to Congress urging them to “sustain funding for the National Science Foundation as a cornerstone of U.S. competitiveness.” UW–Madison facilitated the signatures of many Wisconsin industry stakeholders, with the support of Wisconsin Tech Council and gener8tor.

A new Presidential Proclamation was issued yesterday expanding the list of countries with full or partial travel restrictions on their nationals. Information about how these restrictions may affect UW-Madison international students, staff, and faculty can be found on the International Student Services website.

UW–Madison is aware of professional degree reclassifications that are part of the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Committee’s  proposed federal student-loan changes to implement the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. These changes could impact federal loan options for students in multiple UW–Madison degree programs. We are awaiting the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) in the Federal Register will coordinate university comments.

By a 222-209 vote in the House of Representatives, a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the government through January 30, 2026, has passed Congress. President Trump signed the bill early Thursday morning.