The U.S. federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, and the shutdown has already become the second longest in U.S. history, rivaling the one in 2019 during President Donald Trump’s first presidency. The longer the government remains shut down, the more extreme the effects. Here’s how the shutdown happened, and its current implications for Americans.
Every fiscal year, Congress votes on the federal budget. This federal budget comprises twelve appropriation bills to fund specific efforts and agencies. Congress has not yet enacted any of these appropriation bills, and until they are passed, federal agencies will not receive funding. Congress had until Sept. 30 to pass these appropriation bills, which marked the end of the 2025 fiscal year. When the year ended without them, the federal government entered a shutdown.
But what are these agencies? And more importantly, how is the defunding of these agencies going to affect you, a college student?
For one, student loans will likely take longer to be processed. With many employees in the federal education department being furloughed and out of the office, your loan forgiveness and repayment plans may remain on someone’s desk for longer than usual. These new furloughs, coupled with the cuts Trump made to the department in March, mean trouble for easy access to student loans or convenient loan payments.
The government shutdown also endangers SNAP benefits. SNAP, also recognized as food stamps, provides nutritional support for individuals and families who struggle to afford groceries. Because it’s funded by the federal government, benefits will soon be inaccessible. This could devastate an estimated 42 million Americans, impacting those who need support the most.
Approximately 670,000 federal employees are being furloughed, and just as many employees are being forced to work without pay. This means that hundreds of thousands of families are down a paycheck for the foreseeable future. With no appropriation bill passing through Congress, the government will likely remain shut down for several more weeks.
Luckily, programs deemed essential, such as border protection, in-hospital medical care, air traffic control, law enforcement, and power grid maintenance, will likely continue to receive funding or at least remain operational. The Trump administration determines which services are essential during a lockdown, giving it the power to control which remain active during the shutdown.
Mail services will continue to run, since the government does not fund them. This is a common misconception, and the confusion is well-warranted. While USPS is a government agency, it generates revenue from postal-related items such as stamps, which ultimately makes it self-funded. It is, however, overseen by the government. Leadership falls under the executive branch’s domain and even has its own department. So there’s no need to worry about late packages.
Despite the shutdown, Congress can pass a temporary continuing resolution, which allows the government to continue funding government agencies at levels established in the previous fiscal year until each appropriation bill is passed. These have been used before and can help prevent a complete government shutdown.
However, the continuing resolutions proposed did not pass through Congress. The continuing resolution in question, H.R. 5371, has been voted on nine times between Oct. 1 and Oct. 20 and has yet to pass the chamber. If Congress can’t agree on a temporary solution, it’s not likely that the more permanent appropriations will be made.