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President Drake warns of federal actions threatening UC research, announces hiring freeze and financial plans
Summary
UC President Drake told Regents the university faces three primary risks—federal research funding cuts, Medicare/Medicaid reductions affecting UC Health, and attacks on university values—and said the system will prepare financial strategies, impose a systemwide hiring freeze and use legal and advocacy tools to respond.
University of California President Drake told the Board of Regents that the system faces “unprecedented” federal policy shifts that threaten research funding, health-care revenues and institutional values, and outlined immediate steps the Office of the President is directing campuses to take.
Why it matters: Federal actions that reduce grants or contracts, or that cut Medicare and Medicaid, could materially affect research jobs, patient care and the university’s ability to fund core missions. President Drake said the UC is preparing legal, advocacy and financial responses to mitigate those risks.
Drake identified three primary risks: potential freezes or reductions in federal research grants and contracts; possible cuts to Medicare and Medicaid that would affect UC Health; and federal actions that conflict with university values and disrupt core activities. He said the Office of the President established a strike team to track developments and that he personally traveled to Washington, D.C., to meet lawmakers and higher-education partners.
To preserve resources, Drake said every UC location must prepare financial strategies and workforce-management plans, cost-saving measures will be implemented and a systemwide hiring freeze will begin soon. He also described legal work, partnership with advocacy organizations, and engagement with legislators as tools the university is using to respond.
Drake highlighted the recognition of UC Merced earning R1 Carnegie Classification status and noted broader efforts such as UC PRIME and an upcoming annual basic-needs report. He framed the moment as consequential for the system and emphasized the university’s long history of federal partnership in research and patient care.
No Regents vote was recorded on the financial directives during the open session; President Drake said directives would be implemented by campus leadership and the Office of the President.
