1/7/26: Appeals Court Cites Supreme Court Rulings to Still Block NIH Indirect Costs Cap (Inside Higher Ed) The decision preserves institutions’ access to billions of dollars for annual expenses, such as lab costs and patient safety, which are not easily connected to specific projects. The NIH negotiates individual reimbursement rates with each institution, but a cap would change that and limit funding. U.S. District Court of Massachusetts judge Angel Kelley first blocked the rate cap last February , and it has remained blocked since. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/07/judges-cite-supreme-rulings-still-block-nih-indirect-costs-cap
See also: Trump Can’t Cap Overhead Rate on NIH Grants to Research Universities, Appeals Court Rules (The Chronicle) https://www.chronicle.com/blogs/the-trump-agenda/trump-cant-cap-overhead-rate-on-nih-grants-to-research-universities-appeals-court-rules
See also: Appeals Court Upholds Prohibition on Trump’s Medical Research Cuts (New York Times) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/05/us/politics/trump-nih-grant-cuts-court.html
1/7/26: Congress Plans to Largely Buck Trump on NSF, NASA, Energy Department Cuts (Inside Higher Ed) Federal lawmakers crafting appropriations legislation for this fiscal year have released plans that largely reject President Trump’s huge proposed cuts to the National Science Foundation, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the Energy Department. https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/01/07/congress-plans-mostly-buck-trumps-nsf-nasa-energy-cuts
1/6/26: Congress has four weeks to dodge another shutdown (Washington Post) Lawmakers are back in Washington this week for a four-week sprint to finish funding the government before the current spending law runs out on Jan. 30. If they fail, they will need to pass another short-term extension or spark another government shutdown just two and a half months after the last one, the longest funding lapse in U.S. history. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2026/01/06/government-shutdown-deadline-looms/
1/6/26: Universities Need a New Defense (The Chronicle) The American university remains the standard for the world. Some of the most talented individuals from around the globe spend their lives as professors on American campuses working to discover new knowledge and introduce the next generation to accomplishments of the human mind. But this moment has brought severe and unprecedented challenges to its continued viability — indeed, to its very existence. The most immediate threats come, of course, from our own federal government. https://www.chronicle.com/article/universities-need-a-new-defense
1/6/26: Senate Approves Trump’s White House Drug Czar Pick Who Supports Medical Marijuana As Rescheduling Looms (Marijuana Moment) The Senate has confirmed President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as White House drug czar…. Despite her personal ambiguity on the rescheduling issue, Trump last month signed an executive order directing the attorney general to expeditiously complete the process of moving cannabis from Schedule I to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). https://www.marijuanamoment.net/senate-approves-trumps-white-house-drug-czar-pick-who-supports-medical-marijuana-as-rescheduling-looms/
1/5/26: Trump administration agrees to drop anti-DEI criteria for stalled health research grants (Gov Exec) The Health and Human Services Department will allow the National Institutes of Health to resume considering current research grant applications while legal challenges over the Trump administration’s new grant funding criteria play out in court. https://www.govexec.com/management/2026/01/trump-administration-agrees-drop-anti-dei-criteria-stalled-health-research-grants/410467/
1/5/26: Federal Awards : Selected Programs Did Not Fully Include Identified Practices to Enhance Oversight and Fraud Prevention (GAO-26-107444) We looked at how 5 programs oversee awards and prevent fraud. But—contrary to leading practices and requirements—4 of them didn’t have or document key processes for preventing fraud. This increases their risk of fraud. Our 12 recommendations address this and other issues. https://www.gao.gov/products/gao-26-107444
