How a Government Shutdown Would—and Would Not—Impact BU
Financial aid would be unaffected, some federal agencies would remain open
Photo by nojustice/iStock. Authors of this article, BU Today staff.
With the likelihood of a federal government shutdown at midnight Friday looking more and more likely, this is what you should know: The good news is that this one wouldn’t be as pervasive a shuttering of Uncle Sam’s agencies as in the past.
“This would be a partial government shutdown, so only select government agencies, which do not have a final fiscal year 2019 budget, would be affected,” says Jennifer Grodsky, the University’s vice president for federal relations.
Still, faculty should heed deadlines for grant proposals they’re working on, says Gloria Waters, vice president and associate provost for research. “It is very important that faculty continue to work on grant applications, so they are ready to submit when the government reopens,” Waters says. “Faculty should note that the Office of Sponsored Programs is closed over intersession, so any proposals or reports that are due during intersession or January 2 need to be submitted this week.” Intersession begins at close of day Friday, December 21, and ends January 2, 2019.
“While we hope that the federal government will not shut down,” adds Jean Morrison, BU provost, “we are prepared to provide support for faculty during this week and again after intersession.”
Grodsky discussed other details regarding a possible shutdown with BU Today.
BU Today: What would the shutdown mean for investigators who are submitting proposals for federally sponsored research?
Grodsky: For now, it means that some program managers and contacts at a small number of federal agencies may not be available. Some impacted agencies may pull down their websites, so investigators should download in advance whatever materials they may need.
Which agencies would be open and which would close?
The National Institutes of Health and the Education Department are still open, because Congress finalized their budgets earlier this fall. For other agencies without finalized budgets, like the National Science Foundation, NASA, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, only essential federal personnel are working, and each agency defines “essential” differently. You can see how every agency operates in a shutdown by looking at the agency contingency plans on the White House Office of Management and Budget website.
What would a shutdown mean for students?
Fortunately, federal financial aid will not be impacted. The Education Department has a finalized budget for fiscal year 2019 and will operate as usual.
What about researchers who are currently working under federal contracts and grants? Should they continue to work?
Yes, researchers should continue to work on their grants and contracts unless their agency or program officer has advised them otherwise. Faculty should keep in close touch with their sponsored programs contacts and check the Research Support website for updates.
Would the shutdown affect faculty and staff in other ways?
Faculty and staff who planned to travel to Washington, D.C., during the shutdown period—for meetings with federal officials at the small number of impacted agencies—should check whether their federal contact will be available to meet. Most federal agency staff at affected agencies will not be working during the shutdown. Similarly, if a faculty or staff member has invited a federal official from one of the closed agencies to visit BU, it’s possible the visit would need to be rescheduled.
How long would the shutdown be likely to last?
The guesses range from a few hours to a few weeks. While leaders in Congress have been clear that they would like to avoid a shutdown, the holidays will make it more difficult for negotiators to reach an agreement.