We’ve been through it before, and we might go through it again–a government shutdown. What does this mean for us Ospreys?

Grant and research funding may be stalled. New grants and funding for research from federal programs will not be accessible. The Department of Education will not have a budget nor a full staff. Research for all federal programs will be halted, so this means federal data will not be updated. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Census, the Education Resources Information Center, the National Archives and the Bureau of Labor Statistics will all be impacted. Students who are awaiting new information or data from these agencies may have to wait a little longer.

Travel will also be affected. If you are planning on going to another country and haven’t gotten your passports yet, you may have to postpone your plans. No last-minute passports will be granted. TSA will also slow down as only essential employees will be working.

Luckily, students who are receiving federal aid such as the Pell Grant and federal student loans should be unaffected depending on how long the federal shutdown is. If the shutdown lasts longer than a few weeks, there could be consequences.

The last government shutdown happened in Oct. 2013, and many research programs like Dr. Julie Richmond’s Antarctica trip were cancelled.

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