The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

The student news site of Marquette University

Marquette Wire

Budget deal reached, government shutdown avoided

The outlook was grim Friday night.

Democratic and Republican leaders squared off in a political negotiation to decide the budget for the rest of the fiscal year. As they deliberated, the government teetered on the edge of a shutdown.

Washington, D.C. was frantic with the thought of explaining a government shutdown to voters.

But a last-minute deal was reached late Friday night, cutting spending by $38 billion. Attempts by Republicans to curtail Planned Parenthood and Environmental Protection Agency funding were sidetracked to avoid the shutdown.

Congressmen were not the only ones concerned with the effects of a government shutdown. University researchers and college students with federal financial aid also fretted over their funding.

Andy Suchorski, communications director for Marquette’s chapter of the College Democrats, said a shutdown would have been extremely detrimental to college students.

“A federal government shutdown would have blocked work study funds and student loans to low-income students,” Suchorski said. “Obviously, there are many students at Marquette that rely on these programs from the federal government.”

A government shutdown would have meant longer waits for federal aid, a lapse in government oversight of colleges and lenders, and another delay in the Education Department’s “gainful employment” rule. This rule protects students at for-profit colleges from taking on unsustainable debt they cannot repay.

No long-term consequences from a shutdown would have affected colleges and students, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. In the 21-day government shutdown from late 1995 to early 1996, federal contractors and services went unpaid and new regulations were postponed, but three months after it ended, no effects remained.

A government shutdown would have had no immediate effect on university-based research, either, since projects are typically financed a year or more in advance.

Some students believe this near-shutdown would have left minimal traces as well.

Ethan Hollenberger, chair of the College Republicans, did not believe many students would notice the shutdown unless their parents were affected.

“I don’t think we were ever headed to a prolonged shutdown,” Hollenberger said. “If anything, it may have lasted over the weekend.

“This was a media stunt for the parties to try to blame each other.”

In the last shutdown, the flow of student aid funds did not stop because colleges could continue to draw on federal funds to make awards to students. The processing of new applications for aid, however, was disrupted because other agencies must verify students’ Social Security numbers and immigration status.

Had another shutdown occurred, students in programs based on academic quarters or shorter units would have faced delays in receiving their aid. This would have had the biggest impact in for-profit colleges, such as Milwaukee Career College and ITT Technical Institute, where shorter terms are more common.

Local representatives were relieved the consequences of a government shutdown were not realized.

U.S. Congressman Sean Duffy (R-Wausau), a member of the Financial Services Committee and Joint Economic Committee, warned that this decision was not the end of fiscal budget woes.

“While I am relieved that we were able to prevent a government shutdown, our hard work is only just beginning,” he said in a statement. “The nation faces very serious problems, and tough choices will be required.”

Still, the fears of the effects of the federal government decisions bothered students of both political parties at Marquette.

“My mom is a federal employee, so it would have had a direct impact on our family,” Suchorski said. “A federal government shutdown would have resulted in millions of Americans no longer getting paid, which would have effectively stopped our economy.”

The situation hit home for Hollenberger as well.

“My sister-in-law just completed basic training for the army, and with the shutdown, she would not have been paid the money she had earned,” he said. “That was the biggest concern and the biggest personal effect.”

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