The United States federal government shut down at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 1, after President Donald Trump and Congress were unable to reach a deal to keep the government funded. A motion midday on Oct. 1 to quickly end the government shutdown failed. Vanderbilt students expressed disappointment with the current management of the government and how this shutdown impacts government workers.
The shutdown is the first since 2018, which lasted a record 35 days. Republicans and Democrats remained deadlocked on the issue of healthcare spending. Republicans control both chambers of Congress; however, they need Democrat support in the Senate to pass the spending bill, with 60 votes required.
Opposition Democrats refused to back the Republican bill, claiming it will institute greater barriers for Americans to afford healthcare. Democrats have withheld funding for the bill and called for the reversal of cuts to Medicaid that were recently enacted by the Trump Administration, as well as an extension of tax credits so health insurance is more affordable for Americans.
The government shutdown will primarily affect federal workers, including essential workers who will continue to work through the shutdown without pay. These essential workers include border protection, law enforcement, in-hospital medical care, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and air-traffic controllers.
Non-essential workers will be put on unpaid leave, and agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health have furloughed workers.
The university sent an email to the Vanderbilt community on Oct. 1 stating that it is understandable that the shutdown could be causing uncertainty and concern.
“Many government services may be slowed or paused — affecting the daily lives of people across the country — and we recognize that these disruptions can present unique difficulties for higher education institutions and the individuals within them,” the email reads.
The email also contained a link to a university webpage with compiled updates and resources regarding how the shutdown impacts higher education.
According to the webpage, student aid is not expected to be impacted as most programs are funded a year in advance. International students should also be unaffected as government agencies focusing on immigration-related issues are expected to operate as normal.
Research activities may be impacted as the federal government is not able to award new grants or provide technical assistance during a shutdown. The university encouraged labs to seek guidance from the school should the shutdown impact funding increments and pause projects that are no longer authorized. Labs were also encouraged to continue their work as normal unless the university explicitly states otherwise.
The university did not immediately respond to The Hustler’s request for comment.
Junior Gwendolyn Goetz said her primary concern was for the millions of government employees essential to the functioning of our country who may be going without pay. She also expressed concern for her own status as a student currently abroad.
“I worry about my own status as a Canadian American student currently studying abroad and how a prolonged shutdown could affect my ability to access government services or support while outside the U.S.,” Goetz said. “Frankly, it is embarrassing that repeated policy failures have led us here, and it reflects a troubling inability of our elected officials to put the nation’s well-being first.”
In addition to discussing the issue of pay for federal workers, sophomore Mary Hallgarth emphasized how the shutdown also disrupts social programs like Medicare, which she said could set people back.
“This government shutdown is simply a result of poor management within all three sectors of the American government system. Politicians now have to craft shutdown plans instead of helping the public and are leading our democracy into a crisis,” Hallgarth said. “The people need to be put first, regardless of money, identity and social status, and it saddens me that our current government has failed us.”
Neither the Vanderbilt College Republicans nor the Vanderbilt College Democrats immediately responded to The Hustler’s request for comment.
