If the U.S. government is forced to shut down in mid-November, research labs and other federally supported projects at the University of Utah may not be able to receive funding.
Congress has temporarily avoided a shutdown after reaching a deal on a continuing resolution last month, but needs to pass all 12 annual appropriation bills by Nov. 17. At present, the House has passed just four appropriations bills and the Senate none. Forbes reported that the chance of a November government shutdown is currently about 30%, according to event trading site Kalshi.
A shutdown means that all federal agencies must stop any function not deemed essential for public safety. Thousands of government employees would be furloughed, including about 90% of the Department of Education staff, and the rest ordered to continue working without pay until the shutdown is over, at which point all employees would be retroactively paid. Although a government shutdown would primarily impact federal offices and employees, the U would not remain unaffected.
“The longer the shutdown continues, the more difficult it will be for those directly impacted by the shutdown,” said a statement posted by the U’s Office of Sponsored Projects.
As a state organization, the university receives a lump sum of funds in July from the Utah Legislature, said Shawn Wood, communications manager at the U.
“That funding … ensures that the majority of offices can remain open in the event of a government shutdown,” Wood said.
Though most of the U would remain functioning, research labs with millions of dollars of federal funding could be negatively affected. This year, the U reached $768 million in research funding, and about 64% of research funding comes from the federal government, according to the Office of the Vice President for Research. Any funding that has already been allocated will not be affected, but new proposals and labs that need additional funding will be halted.
“[A government shutdown] stops new proposals from being submitted or reviewed. It shuts down new research opportunities,” said Erin Rothwell, vice president of research at the U.
Rothwell’s office sent an email on Sept. 29 directing faculty and staff to visit the Office of Sponsored Projects website for guidance on how to navigate a potential shutdown. The office advised faculty to submit any new proposals or extensions as soon as possible and recommended researchers be prepared for the likely probability of stipends and payments being suspended.
Kim Kaphingst, director of Cancer Communication Research at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and professor in the Department of Communication, said the prospect of a possible shutdown can force researchers to shift their timelines and require more patience with the proposal process.
“The main impact I have had in the past can be longer times for steps in the grant review cycle,” she said. “The potential shutdown meant that grant proposals to the federal government were submitted earlier when possible.”
This could also affect students working on federally funded research projects, according to the Office of Sponsored Projects. If the lab fails to receive new or continuing funding, any student receiving course credit will not be eligible for the credit. This is important for students whose financial aid mandates a minimum number of credit hours.
“Students who fall below a certain number of units per quarter (or semester) could risk jeopardizing their student aid financial packages and should consult with a campus financial aid advisor,” according to the Office of Sponsored Projects website.
Until last week, progress toward averting a shutdown had been stunted because the House has been without a speaker since Rep. Kevin McCarthy was voted out of office on Oct. 3. Without a speaker, new bills cannot be brought to the floor. The new Speaker of the House, Rep. Mike Johnson from Louisiana, won all 220 House Republican votes last week after being the fourth Republican speaker to be nominated.
Since Johnson’s election, the House has passed one of the appropriations bills, the Energy and Water Development bill, with 210 Republicans voting yes and 199 Democrats voting no. Although this marks a forward movement toward avoiding a shutdown, the White House has said President Biden would veto the bill.
