Correction Appended: A previous version of this article and its headline stated that the government shutdown was expected to have no effect on Ohio University. The university has since clarified that it anticipates only a minimal immediate impact. The headline and third paragraph have been updated to reflect this.
The federal government entered a shutdown period Wednesday as a result of Congress being unable to reach a bipartisan agreement on a federal funding bill, according to the Associated Press.
Republicans proposed a temporary funding measure for the government until Nov. 21, but Democrats blocked it to address health care issues. They aim to reverse cuts to Medicaid from President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and extend tax credits to help lower health insurance costs for many people using the Affordable Care Act marketplaces.
An Ohio University press release stated that although the university anticipates minimal immediate impact on OU’s financial aid programs, educational services and current federal funded research from the shutdown, university leadership will “continue to closely monitor and share appropriate developments and/or guidance with the university community as the situation progresses.”
There is no telling how long the federal shutdown will last, but it will not affect certain federal organizations or employees. The U.S. Postal Service and airports will remain fully operational, and FBI investigators and CIA officers will continue to work, according to the AP.
OU will have offices open, including the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships, the Veterans and Military Student Services Center and the Office of the Bursar, for students to ask questions if they have concerns about the impact of the shutdown.
OU said the Department of Veterans Affairs has indicated education benefits will continue to be paid.
Students working on federally-funded projects will continue to be able to do so unless the agency funding the project issues a “stop-work order.”
Federally, the impact of the shutdown is much larger. The AP reported the Congressional Budget Office estimates approximately 750,000 federal employees may be furloughed each day during the shutdown, resulting in an estimated daily cost of about $400 million in compensation.
However, thanks to a bill passed in 2019 after the last government shutdown, furloughed government employees will be paid retroactively after the shutdown is over.
Currently, the specific government agencies impacted by the shutdown are not known.
“All administrations get some leeway to choose which services to freeze or maintain in a shutdown,” the AP wrote, meaning that Trump will be able to select which services he wants shut down or kept.
The last federal government shutdown occurred in 2018 and 2019, and the shutdown lasted 35 days. It is unknown how long the current shutdown will last, but OU stated that if a shutdown of more than 30 days occurs, the Office of Sponsored Programs will provide additional guidance.
