Weekly Federal Update Brief

June 25, 2025

Dear UC colleagues,

Over the last week, we received welcome news about several court decisions affecting the University and our research enterprise:

  • On June 16, a federal district judge ruled that the Trump administration’s directives to terminate National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants to public health organizations were unlawful. In April, the State of California co-led the lawsuit against the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the NIH for failing to disperse grant funds and for unlawfully terminating existing grants for medical and public health research institutions across the country. UC was a declarant in the lawsuit. Hundreds of grants at UC and other research institutions should be reinstated as a result of this ruling, although the federal government may appeal the decision.

  • On June 17, a temporary restraining order  was issued in a lawsuit challenging the 15 percent facilities and administration (F&A) cap the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) announced earlier this month. UC joined the lawsuit filed by the Association of American Universities (AAU), American Council on Education (ACE), and Association of Public & Land-grant Universities (APLU) challenging these detrimental cuts to DOD-funded research. The next hearing in this case is scheduled for July 2.

  • On June 20, a federal judge “vacated and declared invalid, arbitrary and capricious, and contrary to law” the National Science Foundation’s 15 percent F&A cap and the agency’s policy notice implementing it. The AAU, ACE, APLU, and 13 research universities—including UC—filed a lawsuit last month challenging the F&A cap.

Meanwhile, if you visited the UC Federal Updates page this week, you might have noticed a few exciting changes. Our team at the Office of the President continues to enhance the user experience and help our community stay informed about the latest federal news impacting the University. I recommend checking out the new “Fact Sheet” section, where we post valuable resources you can share with your networks. I hope you continue to find this resource useful.

Best,

Meredith Vivian Turner
Senior Vice President
External Relations & Communications
UC Office of the President

University Response & Communications

Senate Budget Reconciliation Advocacy

  • Reconciliation Summary: Following the release of the legislative text from the final Senate committee, UC Federal Governmental Relations prepared a summary of the legislation as it relates to the University as well as how it compares to the House-passed bill.

  • California’s Higher Education Leaders Urge Congress to Protect Pell Grants: UC President Drake and leaders of the California State University System, California Community Colleges, and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities sent a letter to Congressional leadership opposing Pell Grant cuts in the House budget reconciliation bill as well as in the federal fiscal year 2026 budget request.

  • UC Advocacy Network (UCAN) Campaign: UCAN launched a campaign focused on the impact the Senate budget legislation would have on federal financial aid, basic needs, and Medicaid. It asks advocates to email their Senators and urge them to vote no on the bill when it comes up for a vote.

  • Social media video: In a video shared across UC’s social media channels, Aprí Medina, UC’s director of policy and analysis for Student Financial Support, highlights some of what’s at stake for federal financial aid in budget reconciliation.

  • UC Newsroom article: In a recently published UC Newsroom article, we highlight some of the key differences between the House and Senate budget reconciliation bills, and what each version could mean for UC.

New Resources

  • Revised “UC Federal Updates” page: The refreshed site provides a better user experience with refreshed features, designed to make it easier to stay informed and share key federal news impacting the University community.

Media Highlights

For ongoing updates and resources, please visit the UC Federal Updates website.