Recent Federal Actions
- Department of Education: Secretary McMahon: Our Department’s Final Mission
- Department of Education: ED, HHS, and GSA Announce Additional Measures to End Anti-Semitic Harassment on College Campuses
U.S. Department of Education Releases Frequently Asked Questions on Dear Colleague Letter
On March 1, the Department of Education released a Frequently Asked Questions Document, which is meant to be considered with the February 14 Dear Colleague Letter. The Universities of Wisconsin continue to review the Frequently Asked Questions Document.
Secretary McMahon Confirmation
On March 3, via a vote of 51-45, the U.S. Senate confirmed Linda McMahon to be the next Secretary of Education. At the time of her confirmation, Secretary McMahon released this statement.
NIH Indirect Cost Rates
Leaders and faculty at the Universities of Wisconsin, UW–Madison, and UW-Milwaukee discussed the impact of federal health research funding on Wisconsin at a news conference in the wake of a federal proposal to limit National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding. Read the news release.
At the news conference, President Rothman cited the important research at UW–Madison, UW-Milwaukee and across the Universities of Wisconsin and said cutting federal funding “has real implications for families and communities counting on us to find solutions to our most pressing needs.” Chancellor Mnookin emphasized that indiscriminate reductions in research funding “pose significant risk to our state and nation’s future” and harm the ability for universities like UW–Madison to make critical, life-saving discoveries and train students to be leaders. “Let us work together to protect and preserve the vital research work around us that is poised to make critical new discoveries and save lives in Wisconsin and all across the nation,” she said.
You may view a video of the news conference and read the Letter to Wisconsin’s Congressional Delegation from businesses and organizations supporting NIH funding.
In the background of this, on March 5, a federal judge issued a nationwide preliminary injunction that halts the implementation of a 15% indirect cost rate on NIH grants and contracts.
Federal Updates Public Web Page Refreshed
The Universities of Wisconsin (UW) refreshed its Federal Updates web page for the public to learn about the federal issues the UW is monitoring. The site provides a dashboard view of the various issues organized by topic, with a summary and links related to the topic. Please share this across your campus.