February 14, 2025
Dear UC Colleagues,
With a new federal administration, we’ve seen an increase in news and policy updates from Washington, D.C., many of which require careful evaluation by the University. In an effort to keep our community informed and involved in response efforts, we will begin sending a weekly update with the latest news and information we have to share. We are committed to providing you with timely and relevant updates and will assess the cadence of this update to ensure it continues to provide value for our community. As always, the University of California remains committed to supporting our students, faculty, staff, and patients by providing as much accurate information, thorough guidance, and access to key resources as possible.
Summary of Recent Federal Activities and Impacts
As you may have already seen earlier this week, the Federal Court in Massachusetts acted swiftly to issue a temporary restraining order in response to lawsuits that involved UC to prevent the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from reducing their facilities and administration (F&A) rates to 15%. We are grateful for the judge’s order and the bipartisan chorus of policymakers for supporting efforts to continue this vital, groundbreaking research that saves lives and improves health care for countless Americans. We continue to advocate against these cuts and will monitor further court actions.
We are also deeply concerned about the recent cancellation of grants from the Department of Education. We’re actively monitoring and evaluating this situation and will provide more information as it becomes available.
University Response & Communications
- Message from System Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Katherine Newman regarding NIH funding rate cuts
- UC Advocacy Network (UCAN) campaign for advocates to email their lawmakers about the NIH funding change
New Resources
ER&C has translated several available resources into Spanish:
- Frequently Asked Questions for University Employees About Possible Federal Immigration Enforcement Actions on University Property
- Affirmation of Principles in support of the undocumented community
- Know Your Rights Card
Media Highlights
- LA Times: Judge halts Trump's NIH cuts that support medical research after California and 21 states sue
- New York Times: Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump Cuts to Medical Research Funding
- San Francisco Chronicle: ‘An attack on science’: UC, California fight Trump cuts to NIH health research funding
- The Sacramento Bee: Trump slashed medical research grant funding. Now California & others are suing to restore it
- Axios: California sues Trump administration over NIH funding cuts
- KQED: Judge Blocks Trump Plan to Cut Research Funding After California, Other States Sue
- OC Register: NIH funding cuts could threaten valuable research, Southern California institutions say
- The Mercury News: California joins legal battle to block NIH funding change that could impact UC, CSU
For ongoing updates and resources, please visit the UC Federal Updates website.
Best,
Meredith
Meredith Vivian Turner
Senior Vice President
External Relations & Communications
UC Office of the President