By now all of you are aware of the President’s unprecedented Executive Order (EO) issued on Monday, January 27, 2025 (5:00 PM ET) over the “Temporary Pause of Agency Grant, Loan, and Other Financial Assistance Programs” effective Tuesday, January 28, 2025 (5:00 PM ET). The President’s EO directed all federal agencies to identify and review all federal assistance programs to ensure they were in alignment with the President’s new policy priorities. While there was no clear direction on its intent and purpose, it’s evident that it will target financial assistance for “foreign aid, nongovernmental organizations, DEI initiatives, gender-affirming services, and the Green New Deal.”
Since then, on Tuesday, January 28, 2025 a federal judge in Washington, D.C. temporarily halted the freeze on federal loans, grants, and other financial assistance as outlined in the EO until Monday, February 3, 2025. We also appreciate the University of Hawaiʻi’s action in joining in a lawsuit against the EO with other states that resulted in Judge John McConnell, Jr., (United States District Court for the District Court of Rhode Island) also issuing a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that stopped the EO for all states involved including Hawaii on January 31, 2025.
However, we realize that these TRO’s are temporary and we need to be prepared for the next round of strategic and target attacks. In light of this, UHPA and its international union AFT are preparing to take their own legal case and actions against the President’s administration. While UHPA is working with the UH administration to identify specific grants and contracts that could be impacted, as well as, identifying potential UHPA faculty members, UHPA wants to ensure that we do not overlook any impacted UHPA members. As such, if you are receiving grants and funding under the following subjects contained in the President’s EO and believe you are potentially at risk, please complete this form and UHPA will contact you if we need additional information:
- – Protecting the American People Against Invasion
- – Reevaluating and Realigning United States Foreign Aid Putting America First in International Environmental Agreements
- – Unleashing American Energy
- – Ending Radical and Wasteful Government DEI Programs and Preferencing
- – Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism and Restoring Biological Truth to the Federal Government
- – Enforcing the Hyde Amendment
Alternatively, you may contact UHPA at your earliest convenience at (808) 593-2157 or via email at info@uhpa.org. We will need information on your specific grant, including the name, number, and amount of the grant, the name and contact information of the PI for the grant, the name(s) and contact information of individuals whose work depends on the grant, the percentage of individual salaries funded by the grant, and the deliverables of the grant and how it benefits our community.
UHPA acknowledges and recognizes that the President’s EOs have a chilling effect that has caused confusion, anxiety, and unfortunately fear. However, we must stand together in unity and challenge these actions not only for ourselves and the academy, but to protect the good and righteous things that faculty do and continue to do for society, the world’s inhabitants, and for the planet that we live in.