NIH Vigils Newsletter 10/10/2025
Updates for the Week of October 5
Shutdown Showdown
On Wednesday, October 1, the government shut down. On Monday, Sept. 29, we held a press conference at the Capitol with Senators Van Hollen and Alsobrooks and Representatives Glenn Ivey and Delia Ramirez, urging Congress to pass a fighting CR that protects science, healthcare, federal workers, and civil liberties. Democrats found courage to hold their ground, and Republicans wouldn’t negotiate. Public pressure to fight is working, and Democrats are showing spunk –keep it up!
RIFs
Trump and Vought threatened mass layoffs during the shutdown. These layoffs would likely be illegal. It is not true that RIFs become legal after 30 days of a shutdown. On Friday Oct. 10, Russell Vought announced RIFs across a number of agencies, and some have been reported from EPA, IRS, and Dept of Education. Sources inside OMB report that the RIFs are coming from agency RIF and restructuring plans that had previously been submitted by agency heads, as well as previously RIFed individuals who were brought back in the spring.
Threats of No Back Pay
In 2019, Congress passed a law signed by Trump ensuring that federal employees will receive back pay after a government shutdown. Now, Russell Vought is threatening to not pay back federal workers once the government re-opens.
No House Votes for Two Weeks
On Oct. 10, Mike Johnson cancelled House votes for the second week in a row, meaning Republicans in the House will not return until Sept. 20 at the earliest, and the shutdown will continue at least until then.
Hatch Act Violations
The Trump regime may have violated the Hatch Act with government-wide messaging on websites, in emails, and out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for the shutdown. To provide some context, the problem is partisan messages displayed on official, taxpayer-funded websites blaming Democrats for a shutdown. The government is not allowed to spend taxpayer funds on partisan advocacy. The money can only be used on activities Congress approves. Messages that hint at telling the public to pressure Congress violate anti-lobbying laws. Agencies can’t use taxpayer dollars to rally citizens for political leverage.
The Hatch Act usually governs employees and not entire federal agencies. HOWEVER, if a federal employee approved or pushed that message out in their official role, they are at risk for a Hatch Act violation.
How to File a Hatch Act Complaint
Screenshot the violation with the URL and the timestamp (date/time) visible
Report it to the agency’s inspector general
Report it to the Office of Special Counsel
Note: Your complaint will need to name the head of the agency, specifically.
Government Watchdog Websites Went Dark
In the first hours of the shutdown, OMB withheld funding for the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency (CIGIE), which hosts 28 (out of 72) IG websites. As a result, 15 government watchdog websites went dark. These websites should not have been affected by the shutdown at all. CIGIE was targeted because it’s a hub of support for all IGs and the public generally doesn’t know about it. Fortunately, OIG whistleblower contact information is currently available through non-government sources.
Maryland Delegate Wants to Help FEDS
Senators Alsobrooks and Van Hollen and Representative Sarah Elfreth introduced a bill to allow essential federal workers who would normally work without pay during a shutdown to apply for unemployment insurance. The bill is called the Help Federal Employees During Shutdown (Help FEDS) Act.
Feds on the Hill
Federal workers from 10 different agencies met with Rep. Jamie Raskin behind closed doors at the Capitol on Wednesday Oct. 8 to convey to him the widespread and systematic dismantling of the federal government and the urgency with which Congress must act to stand up for federal workers and the services they provide to the American people. Federal workers from NIH will be following up with his office to address specific issues raised during the meeting, and his public messaging the day after the meeting seemed to strike a more fiery tone.
Mutual Aid Resources
27 uNIHted is working to put together a nationwide list of mutual aid resources. If you learn of resources, please submit them! At NIH Vigil on Oct. 11 and No Kings Day Oct. 18, they will collect non-perishable food donations to benefit Manna and support our community, including furloughed federal workers.
Retaliation at HUD and EPA
More signers of the EPA declaration of dissent were removed from administrative leave and fired in retaliation. In addition, two civil rights lawyers who released a whistleblower letter detailing mismanagement and abuse at HUD were fired.
Trump Extorts Universities
The Trump regime is pushing 9 universities to sign a compact agreeing to 10 demands in exchange for preferential funding. The universities are Vanderbilt University, Dartmouth College, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Southern California (USC), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Arizona, Brown University and the University of Virginia. If you are an alum of any of these universities, sign the petition “Defend Unis” on the back of the program. In response, California governor Gavin Newsom threatened to pull state funding from USC if it signs the compact. Virginia state Democrats made similar threats, and Pennsylvania state legislators introduced a bill to block Penn from signing. MIT is refusing to capitulate, while other universities are expressing varying degrees of hesitation (U Penn, Dartmouth) or enthusiasm (UT Austin). They have until Nov. 21 to make a decision, and all have faced public pressure to reject the compact. Inclusion of Brown and Penn, which already came to agreements with the Trump administration, raise concerns for Harvard that even if they make a deal, the government will come back demanding even more concessions.
No Kings Vigil
Oct. 18, we will hold a special No Kings NIH Vigil featuring Montgomery County Councilmember Evan Glass and punk band Allstrike! We will also continue to collect food donations for Manna to support our local community affected by the shutdown.
Please feel free to share this information with people and groups you think would be interested.
Keep up the good trouble, and stay safe out there.
In solidarity,
NIH Vigils
Saturdays, 10:00 a.m., Medical Center Metro Station in front of the NIH Visitors Center