On Oct. 1, disagreements between Democrats and Republicans in Congress over funding legislation ahead of the new fiscal year caused the government to enter shutdown.
According to CBS News, Republicans and Democrats have failed to resolve the impasse 11 times as of Oct. 20, making this the third longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
The continued shutdown will “likely impact areas across the UCCS campus, including student aid, research, international students and the military affiliated community,” according to an official UCCS federal transition update.
Military and veteran students
The most extensive impact of the government shutdown is expected to fall on military and veteran students.
As a result of the shutdown, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA) will pause all veteran career counseling services, regional benefits offices and the GI Bill Hotline. The VA Education Call Center will also halt operations.
According to the VA’s website, VA medical centers, pension and housing benefits, and burials at VA national cemeteries will remain unaffected by the shutdown.
Active-duty and reserve students at UCCS could face delayed paychecks due to temporary leaves of absence for government employees caused by the shutdown. According to the university’s federal transition update, “active-duty military students, veterans and ROTC cadets could be impacted if stipends, or housing allowances, are delayed.”
According to CBS News, active-duty members of the military are expected to continue working despite being delayed pay until the shutdown ends.
The DoD’s My Career Advancement Account (MyCAA), which allows military spouses to file for tuition assistance toward certifications and degrees, has also been paused.
Research funding
The shutdown has led to the suspension of most federal grants and agencies, including the Department of Education (ED), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defense (DoD).
Due to the pause on all NIH activities, UCCS will be unable to apply for research grants. The shutdown is expected to cause delays to program announcements and grant processing.
According to the UCCS federal transition update, due to the indefinite suspension of government employees, “federal agencies may have to reschedule review panels, meetings, and public launch events for new programs.”
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), another major donor to research at UCCS, will be unable to respond to calls, emails or requests from university representatives during the shutdown. According to guidance issued by the NSF on Sept. 30, “no new grants or cooperative agreements will be awarded.”
In Oct. 2024, the CU system received a combined $1.7 billion in research funding and gifts according to UCCS News. UCCS received $19.3 million in grants, largely from the NIH and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), another government agency impacted by the shutdown.
Student aid
The Federal Student Aid (FSA) program under the ED is expected to continue operations through the shutdown, including the disbursement of Pell Grants, federal student loans and the processing of FAFSA.
However, the shutdown will pause the operations of the Financial Aid Student Information Center, meaning that individual cases and inquiries into Title IV managed by the center will be paused for the duration of the shutdown. Title IV of the Higher Education Act covers federal work-study grants, as well as subsidized and unsubsidized student loans.
Student loan forgiveness applications will not be approved during the shutdown according to CNBC.
International students
International students are expected to face visa processing and immigration casework delays. International students will still be able to apply for visas through consular and embassy services, though there may be a delay in operations.
An extended government shutdown could impact fee-funded services such the Department of State’s consular services and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (UCIS).
Due to the existing backlogs and the redirection of resources from the standard application process to immigration enforcement agencies like ICE, “determining the direct impact of a shutdown may be challenging,” according to the American Immigration Council.
The government’s E-Verify service was halted at the start of the shutdown, but reinstated on Oct. 9, according to the government’s E-Verify website. E-Verify allows international employees to verify their eligibility to work in the United States.
UCCS. Photo by Josiah Dolan.