US government shutdown affecting research grants
As the clock struck midnight on Oct. 1, the federal government shut down all of its non-essential departments.
The decision came after the House of Representatives and the Senate failed to reach an agreement on the new fiscal year’s budget. Republicans demanded the budget include the removal of the Affordable Care Act, while Democrats disagreed.
Hours later, “#DearCongress” was the number one trend on Twitter in the New York area, as people expressed their disapproval of the decision.
John Weingart, associate director at the Eagleton Institute of Politics, said every fiscal year Congress adopts a federal budget, including different levels of funding for various programs. In recent years, Congress has been unable to come up with a budget on time.
When the budget expired at midnight, he said the government had no choice but to be shut down.
“A continuing resolution has not been passed, so technically there is no congressional approval to spend money,” Weingart said. “Over the years, agreements have been reached to continue funding essential services without interruption.”
The military and air traffic controllers will continue with funding, he said. Some effects of the shutdown will be felt gradually, but people who rely on government assistance will feel them immediately.
At the University level, public relations specialist Steve Manas said as of 5:20 p.m. yesterday, the shutdown did not affect any departments or staff members.
While they were not directly affected, Terri Kinzy, associate vice president for research administration, said the shutdown would greatly impact grants for research.
The review and approval process for grants could last up to nine months, she said. Research organizations have placed grants currently in the review process on hold and will reschedule them for a review after Congress restores the government.
Kinzy said the National Institutes of Health delayed her grant review until a later date. A several-week delay is possible for all pending grant applications.
“Grants that were submitted months ago will have to now sit and wait,” she said.
When contacted for a quote, a recording at the National Science Foundation said the shutdown had affected them as well.
“Due to a lapse in government funding, the National Science Foundation is closed until further notice,” the message said.
Ed Tate, director of communications for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, said Rutgers currently has research grants from over 220 organizations, including the NSF.
Before the NSF website shut down at midnight Oct. 1, research workers were able to successfully submit 24 of 25 grant applications, Kinzy said.
A big concern for researchers at the University is how the government will reopen, she said.
“When the budget gets approved, we do not know what the impact it will have on research and science will be,” Kinzy said. “We do not know if it will just be a continuing resolution, or if it will be a new budget.”
The implications of the resolution will affect agencies all over the state that work with Rutgers, she said.
“These agencies are important at Rutgers. They serve people all over the state,” she said. “From the farmers and agricultural department, to the [Food and Drug Administration] and [Center for Disease Control], it’s really important for Rutgers and the state and we hope they come back soon.”
According to the U.S. Air Force website, President Barack Obama released a statement to military members which said he is working towards a resolution to the shutdown.
Congress has failed to meet its responsibility to pass a budget before the fiscal year that begins today, he wrote in the statement.
“I want you to know I will keep working to get Congress to reopen the Government, restart vital services that the American people depend on, and allow public servants who have been sent home to return to work,” the statement said.
In the statement, Obama acknowledged the hardships civil servants have faced over the past few years. These include a three-year federal pay freeze, harmful sequester cuts, and now the government shutdown.
The shutdown was preventable and should not have happened, the statement said. The House of Representatives can end it as soon as it funds the government without trying to attach highly controversial and partisan measures in the process.
“You do all of this in a political climate that, too often in recent years, has treated you like a punching bag,” he wrote in the statement.
Weingart said the length of the shutdown could bring the country into uncharted territory. Both parties want different things to allow a solution to pass, and neither seems to be willing to budge on the issue.
“I’ve been trying to picture a resolution with congressional approval, coupled with a commitment of the White House and Senate to meet with the House to focus on several issues of the Republicans of the House,” he said. “At this point, it’s hard to see how, if people were willing to go this far, how it will be resolved.”
