Government Updates
February 1, 2019
All Government Operations Return to Normal... For Now
As of Friday, January 25, 2019, the federal government is fully funded through February 15. Federal agencies that experienced a lapse of appropriations have resumed normal operations. Some affected federal agencies, such as the National Science Foundation, have published guidance describing the return to operations and detailing agency plans to address activities that were impacted by the partial government shutdown. The following list identifies federal departments and agencies affected by the shutdown:
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Justice
- Department of State
- Department of the Interior
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Transportation
- National Science Foundation
- NASA
- Security and Exchange Commission
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Federal Trade Commission
- Small Business Administration
- Peace Corps
- Executive Office of the President
- National Archives and Records Administration
- USAID
- Office of Personnel Management
- General Services Administration
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
The following is a list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding how the partial federal shutdown, and the three-week funding period, affects federal awards.
We will continue to send communications as we receive additional information. Please contact Ryan Holland with Grants and Contracts at Ryan.Holland@ucdenver.edu or by phone at 303.724.0195 if there are further questions.
January 2019
Information on Partial Federal Government Shutdown from OMB
The Office of Management and Budget has issued contingency plans with the partial governmental shut-down. These plans - Planning for Agency Operations during a Potential Lapse in Appropriations - include FAQs regarding grants and contracts.
The following agencies are not impacted and have funding through September 30, 2019:
- Health and Human Services (HHS) –including NIH, HRSA, AHRQ
- Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
- Department of Defense (DOD)
Agencies impacted include –
National Science Foundation (NSF)
- Current Awardees may continue performance under their NSF awards during a lapse in appropriations, to the extent funds are available, and the period of performance of the grant or cooperative agreement has not expired. Any expenses must be allowable and in accordance with the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards (2 CFR § 200). During a lapse in appropriations, NSF cannot authorize costs exceeding available award amounts or obligate additional funds to cover such cost.
2. No new grants or cooperative agreements will be awarded.
3. No new funding opportunities (Dear Colleague Letters, program descriptions, announcements or solicitations) will be issued.
- NASA: Office of the Chief Financial Officer: NASA's Revised Shutdown Plan
- USDA: Office of Communications: Shutdown in the Absence of Appropriation Plan
- USGS: Plan in the Absence of an Appropriation
During the partial government shutdown, work on most grant projects funded through affected agencies may continue; however, agency staff will be unavailable to provide oversight, technical assistance, or prior approval. If your research depends on accessing affected federal agency locations, resources, data, personnel, or additional funding, then your work must cease until appropriations have been reinstated and the agency sponsor provides additional guidance.
Grants.gov operations continue during the partial government shutdown, therefore proposal submissions to the closed agencies should still be submitted on-time. Award decisions; however, will be delayed until after the shutdown. While agency websites will continue to function during the shutdown, webpage content will not be updated and technical support will be unavailable for the affected agencies.
Faculty and staff planning to travel to Washington, D.C., during the shutdown period—for meetings with federal officials at the impacted agencies—should check whether their federal contact will be available to meet. Most federal agency staff at affected agencies are not working during the shutdown. Similarly, if a faculty or staff member has invited a federal official from one of the closed agencies to visit the University, it is likely the visit will need to be rescheduled.
We will continue to send communications as we receive additional information. Please contact Grants and Contracts if there are further questions Ryan.Holland@ucdenver.edu, 303.724.0195.
Amy Gannon Associate Vice Chancellor – Financial Services & Controller
The following list identifies all federal departments and agencies affected by the shutdown.
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Commerce
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Department of Justice
- Department of State
- Department of the Interior
- Department of the Treasury
- Department of Transportation
- National Science Foundation
- NASA
- Security and Exchange Commission
- Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
- Federal Trade Commission
- Small Business Administration
- Peace Corps
- Executive Office of the President
- National Archives and Records Administration
- USAID
- Office of Personnel Management
- General Services Administration
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Federal Communications Commission
January 2018
Information on potential federal government shutdown from OMB
The Office of Management and Budget has issued contingency plans in the event of a governmental wide shut-own. These plans - Planning for Agency Operations during a Potential Lapse in Appropriations - include FAQs regarding grants and contracts.
You will find those in Section II, pages 3-9.
Link to specific agency contingency plans:
National Institutes of Health (NIH) – NIH will not take any actions on grant applications or awards. However, during past shutdowns, faculty have still been able to submit grants, and the agency has maintained the Payment Management System in an operational status to continue processing some grant drawdown requests that do not require manual intervention. Program officers will not be available to answer questions during this time.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) – HRSA would continue activities funded through sources other than annual appropriations including the Community Health Centers, National Health Service Corps. HRSA would be unable make payments for the Children’s Hospital GME Program.
National Science Foundation (NSF) - As part of the shutdown activity, a notice will be sent to the Foundation’s off-site awardees informing them that work may continue on all awards to the extent that doing so will not require federal staff intervention and that funds are available. The notice will inform awardees that no payments will be made during the funding hiatus.
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) – The Veterans Health Administration, including the VA Medical Centers, are largely funded through advanced appropriations. So, we do not expect significant disruption to VA employees during this time.
Department of Defense (DOD) – DOD would continue activity on fully funded contracts that were awarded prior to the expiration of appropriations. New contracts including contract renewals or extensions may not be executed.
We will continue to send communications as we receive additional information. Please contact Grants and Contracts if there are further questions Ryan.Holland@ucdenver.edu , 303.724.0195.
Amy Gannon
Associate Vice Chancellor – Financial Services & Controller