ST. LOUIS—Washington University has confirmed that it will pause a pair of major construction projects, citing uncertainty over the school’s federal funding.

The decision means improvements to Mudd Field, which were supposed to start this summer and be finished in 2028 will not move forward at present. Fencing that is up currently will come down. Trees and seasonal plantings will still be done by December and the field will be back open to regular use in time for the fall semester, the school said in a recent blog post.

In addition, a new 110,000-square-foot Arts & Sciences building set near Olin Library and Graham Chapel is on hold.

“We regret that it’s necessary to take these actions, but in our current climate, it is simply not prudent to continue with these projects as scheduled,” Chancellor Andrew D. Martin said. “We are always careful stewards of the university’s resources, but at this time, given the uncertainty around federal research funding and other potential government actions, we have to take a careful look at every aspect of our operations. We hope that once we have a clearer sense of the financial picture, we may be able to revisit some of these investments.”

Martin told the University community in February that he could not "promise smooth sailing” as the school moves forward to react to a proposed cap on National Institutes of Health research funds that can cover indirect costs, as well as a push to increase taxes on university endowments. 

The Trump administration has moved to slash the amount of federal grants distributed by the National Institutes of Health, a decision that is currently being challenged in court.

In addition, members of Congress have eyed university endowments for taxation.

CNBC reported earlier this month that Washington University’s $12 billion endowment is the 15th largest in market value and per capita.

The school also has to contend with a pending Title XI investigation announced last month by the U.S. Department of Education over its ties to The Ph.D. Project, an organization that says it “empowers our community to help business professionals and students from various backgrounds earn PhDs so they can inspire and educate the next generation of business leaders.”

The Department of Education says it limits eligibility based on race.