Guidance on Government Shutdowns

Guidance for the U of A Campus - Updated November 19, 2025

An update has been made to the communication that we sent on November 13, 2025.  Please note the highlighted information that has been added below. 

On November 12, 2025, the U.S. Congress passed, and the president signed into law, the Continuing Appropriations, Agriculture, Legislative Branch, Military Construction and Veterans Affairs, and Extension Act, 2026.  This act provides final FY26 funding for the following three appropriation bills:

  • Agriculture
  • Legislative Branch
  • Military Construction-Veteran Affairs.

The act further provides a continuing resolution (CR) to extend funding for federal agencies and programs through January 30, 2026 (or until a FY26 budget is signed into law) for the remaining nine appropriations bills:

  • Commerce Justice-Science
  • Defense
  • Energy-Water
  • Financial Services
  • Homeland Security
  • Interior-Environment
  • Labor-HHS-Education
  • State-Foreign Operations/National Security-Department of State
  • Transportation-HUD

Since we experienced a temporary government shutdown, we’ll need units to help us adjust and reinstate pay for affected employees. Units should update the shared file reports to identify the action that was taken during the shutdown in relation to active sponsored projects by cost center, worktag, PI, agency and a list of employees that were impacted by the government shutdown. Units should make adjustments to return to the funding methods used before the shutdown in Workday for employees and positions tied to active federal grants by 8 a.m. on Nov. 24, 2025, ahead of the next payroll deadline. Any necessary changes must be initiated and approved prior to the completion deadline.

For workers who were put on leave without pay during the shutdown, please send a list of employees to Tina Paul, director of human resources and employee relations, at tinapaul@uark.edu, so her team can end their leave and reinstate their pay. Supervisors should notify these employees that they are being reinstated, effective immediately, and document the action.

If a full FY26 budget or another CR is not passed by midnight on January 30, 2026, then we will be faced with a potential federal government shutdown of programs funded through the nine appropriations bills listed above. In early January, the Office of the Provost may ask the Deans, Research Associate Deans and Campus Business Officers to again provide alternative funding options for employees and positions tied to active federal grants to help us prepare for a potential government shutdown.

The Chancellor’s and Provost’s Offices, in conjunction with the offices of the Vice Chancellor for Governmental Relations and Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation, will continue to closely monitor the FY26 appropriations process and keep our campus community informed accordingly. 

Thank you,

Indrajeet Chaubey, Ph.D.
Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
Distinguished Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering