White House Extends Salary Flexibility for Sidelined Scientists

Universities and other federal grant recipients can continue to pay researchers who cannot work while the Covid-19 pandemic keeps laboratories closed, under a Trump administration directive issued Thursday.

The White House Office of Management and Budget issued a memo extending flexibilities that expired June 16. The new sunset date is Sept. 30, which marks the end of the fiscal year.

The memo applies to all federal agencies that issue grants. That includes almost 30 agencies, including the National Institutes of Health. It extends authorities initially issued in March that aimed to provide relief to grantee institutions during the pandemic.

Institutions ...