Looming Shutdown Prompts Updated FAQs; COGR Offers Recommendations
With fiscal year 2024 set to begin Oct. 1 and no appropriations legislation yet approved by Congress, the White House Office of Management and Budget has updated its FAQs for federal agencies addressing a lapse in government funding. Last issued in 2019, the 17-page document has eight sections and 30 questions covering multiple topics. Of interest to institutions, one question asks, “If websites are down, will agencies be able to extend deadlines for applications that would otherwise have been due during the lapse in appropriations?” The answer provided is, “To the extent permitted by law, agencies may extend deadlines for activities, as necessary to compensate for the period of the lapse in appropriations and the unavailability of the website.” The FAQs were updated Sept. 22.
Meanwhile, the Council on Governmental Relations (COGR) on Sept. 26 posted recommendations to help institutions manage federally sponsored projects. The document, “Preparing for a Government Shutdown: A List of Institutional Considerations,” combines “past shutdown experiences with information and guidance that has been received to date. This list is a starting point and not exhaustive of all considerations and will be updated accordingly as more information is gathered and released,” COGR said.
