The Council on Government Relations (COGR) has several trackers that may be of interest. We recommend reviewing COGR’s Summary Tracker of Executive Orders for summaries and possible impacts on higher education for all Executive Orders issued this year. COGR also has a robust litigation tracker that outlines the status of lawsuits challenging recent government actions related to grant terminations and policy shifts.
Examples of recent EO with implications for research include:
EO: Improving Oversight of Federal Grant Making - August 7, 2025 - This executive order seeks to overhaul the way that federal opportunities are developed and issued, reviewed, awarded, and monitored. It is expected that federal agency funding is going to be closely aligned with their interpretation of federal priorities. Look for agencies to be revising and stating priorities. An example is the NIH Unified Strategy release in mid-August.
EO: Restoring Gold Standard Science - May 23, 2025 - This executive order directs agencies to formulate guidance regarding scientific standards for their agencies. The focus of “gold standard science” is on reproducibility, transparency, clear communication of error and uncertainty, collaborative and interdisciplinary work, examination of findings and assumptions, falsifiability of hypotheses, unbiased peer review, reporting of all results, and freedom of conflict of interest. Multiple agencies have released implementation plans:
EO: Improving the Safety and Security of Biological Research - May 5, 2025 - This order limits “dangerous gain-of-function” research, which is research on toxins or infectious agents that could lead to enhanced capability to cause or spread disease or illness.
Justice Department Releases Guidance for Recipients of Federal Funding Regarding Unlawful Discrimination - July 30, 2025 - The Justice Department releases a detailed guidance document for recipients of federal funds regarding engagement in discriminatory practices. The DOJ guidance document outlines the types of policies, actions, and programs, particularly those falling under Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, that may be considered unlawful and discriminatory by the federal government.