“Politics & Pizza” welcoming slide on Oct. 6 (Lila Nuttle/CU Independent).
As the United States federal government shutdown enters its third week, uncertainties surround federal funding and the timeline of when the government will reopen remains unclear.
On Oct. 6, the political science department at the University of Colorado Boulder held a “Politics and Pizza” talk, where students attended a panel led by CU Boulder professors to learn about the shutdown and get some free pizza. Panelists focused their discussion on how the government shutdown is most likely to impact students attending CU Boulder, including students who might rely on government funded food security programs, student financial aid and students who are in research programs at universities.
The shutdown occured as Congress was unable to pass a new budget bill by the Sept. 30, deadline. The breakdown centered around disagreements on the inclusion of Affordable Care Act funding in the new budget, which Democrats pushed for but Republicans rejected. For a budget bill to be passed, the different branches of the U.S. government must agree on spending plans. While the Republican party has a slight majority in the Senate, 60 votes were needed to pass the bill, and Democrats held firm.
Nancy Billica, a political science professor at CU Boulder, said that this shutdown presents unique challenges as both parties have, “entered an era of enemies as opposed to opponents.” A sharp increase in political polarization has created a highly charged atmosphere.
“We are facing an institutional showdown,” said Billica, further noting that rather than working together, both parties seem to be waiting for the other to cave. “There’s a lack of urgency.”
Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has dismissed the House and the Capitol building is mostly empty as lawmakers returned to their districts. Just a handful of Congressmen are in D.C., advocating for the House to be called back into session to try to end the shutdown.
A government shutdown pauses discretionary spending, which means essential spending will continue. This includes programs such as Social Security and Medicare, the U.S. Postal Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Recently, however, it was announced that the United States Department of Agriculture would not fund Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits in November if the shutdown continues. This could seriously impact low-income families who rely on SNAP for food security.
For students who may be impacted by the potential lapse in SNAP benefits, CU Boulder has the Buff Pantry in the UMC as well as mobile pantry options, to help with food security.
“There are no winners in a shutdown,” said Anand Sokhey, a political science professor at CU Boulder. He added that the shutdown has the potential to drag on, as neither party seems willing to compromise, mentioning how the Democrats faced backlash after passing the last budget bill.
As for how the shutdown could affect students at CU, the most immediate impact could be in research funding.
“[CU] is one of the most affected public research universities in the nation,” said Lori Peek, a professor of sociology and director of the Natural Hazards Center. CU has seen federal funding cuts, resulting in layoffs to research positions at the university.
Student aid is another area that could be impacted. While the government has declared that student loans are essential spending and will therefore remain in place, the actual disbursement of aid could be impacted. The U.S. Department of Education announced in their contingency plan that about 85% of their employees at the Office of Federal Student Aid will be furloughed during the lapse in fiscal year. If the shutdown continues for a longer period of time, there’s a possibility that the distribution of student aid could be impacted.
Another possible area of concern is student visa processing, depending on which offices are affected as the shutdown drags on, said Sokhey.
He also mentioned that students can expect to be affected at the airport. While air traffic controllers are facing furloughs, they are required to work without pay. During the 2019 government shutdown, airports saw controllers call in sick, and the same trend seems to be happening now. If the trend continues, people can expect to see more flight delays across the country.
Toward the end of the panel, students asked their own questions about the shutdown. Political science student Grace Blackstock said she attended the talk to gain a better understanding of what the shutdown actually meant.
“I feel like I want to understand the shutdown more,” said Blackstock. She said that she holds her own beliefs about it but felt that “getting a full understanding of where other people might stand” was important to her to get a fuller picture.
To learn more about how the government shutdown might impact CU, the university’s Research and Innovation Office keeps a list of updates surrounding research and federal funding at the university.
Contact CU Independent Sports Editor Lila Nuttle at lila.nuttle@colorado.edu
