University President Michael Schill sent out an email to the Northwestern community Wednesday afternoon responding to the announcement made Monday evening by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget that ordered a temporary pause on federal financial assistance programs.
Though this order was temporarily blocked by a federal judge yesterday afternoon, a White House spokesperson clarified that the federal funding freeze had not been rescinded.
Further clarification from OMB stated that direct financial assistance — including Pell grants, student loans and veteran loans — would not be affected by the freeze; however, it remains unclear how the freeze would affect federally funded research.
In the wake of these developments, the University recommends that any member of the NU community supported by federal funding should continue as normal unless either a written stop-work order or written notice from a federal agency indicates otherwise. NU is not currently limiting expenditures but is waiting to see whether further clarification deems this necessary, Schill wrote in the email.
Though this is a time of great uncertainty as recent executive orders, agency actions and legal challenges interact, Schill wrote in the email, NU leadership is continuing to maintain awareness about the orders and their potential impact on the NU community, as well as provide updates and resources as soon as they are available.
“Please know that in addition to determining the best courses of action for Northwestern, we are actively advocating for our community, stressing the value of your contributions to our local communities and to society,” Schill wrote.
Email: leahschroeder2026@u.northwestern.edu
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