WKU News
Government Shutdown
- Wednesday, September 24th, 2025
Dear Faculty and Staff,
As you are aware, government funding expires October 1, 2025, at the start of the federal fiscal year. A shutdown will effectively begin at 12:01 a.m. on October 1 if Congress is not able to pass a funding plan that the president signs into law. This shutdown, no matter how long, will impact Western Kentucky University’s interactions with the federal government. If a full or partial shutdown does occur, several aspects of the WKU research program may be impacted, including:
- Proposal submissions: The Office of Sponsored Programs will continue to submit proposals to federal sponsors to the extent proposal submission systems are operable.
- New awards: A government shutdown will probably produce delays in proposal reviews and/or award announcements.
- Existing awards: We anticipate that investigators will be able to continue to spend on active awards during the government shutdown, provided funds are authorized during the period of performance and the award has not expired. However, this may differ by federal agency. Information will be shared as it becomes available. Anyone who receives a stop-work notification should immediately forward it to post.award@wku.edu.
- Reporting on existing awards: Principal investigators will be able to submit annual/interim reports, final project reports and project outcomes reports in agency systems and should follow all project due dates for reports.
- Communications with federal sponsors: Investigators should consider plans to ensure their research is able to continue/pause with minimal disruptions until the conclusion of a shutdown. Any prior approval requests (no-cost extension, budget reallocation, change in scope, change in senior key personnel, etc.) or questions for program officers about new federal funding opportunities should be submitted prior to September 30. When the federal government reopens, you can also expect that program officers and other contacts may need additional time to respond to your inquiries as they adjust.
If you have questions, please contact Dr. Jenni Redifer, Associate Provost for Research, at jenni.redifer@wku.edu.
Sincerely,
Robert “Bud” Fischer
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
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