Navigating a Government Shutdown

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.

Following is information to help you navigate any challenges that may arise during this time.

What Happens in a Government Shutdown?

During a lapse in funding, the Antideficiency Act requires the government to cease operations, except for certain circumstances. Unless deemed excepted or essential, government employees are furloughed and instructed not to work, and nonessential government programs cease to operate. Essential functions are determined by agencies based on guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

Mandatory programs, such as Social Security and Medicare, largely continue to operate as usual during a shutdown.

Agency contingency plans for a lapse in appropriations are hosted on each agency’s website. These contingency plans typically include the activities that will and will not continue during a shutdown; how employees will be impacted during a shutdown, and an estimate for how much time an agency needs to shut down and reopen, among other details.

Broadly, the federal government cannot provide much assistance during a shutdown. Most government employees will not answer phone calls, respond to emails, or update resources. Other types of services will be paused as well. For example, in past shutdowns, users could not access the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System.

In addition, government employees scheduled to participate in conferences, give public speeches, or visit campuses will likely cancel those appearances during a shutdown – and even in the weeks after a shutdown as they work to restore services and reduce backlogs.

Impact on Higher Education

Student Aid 

Typically, student aid is not impacted by a shutdown. Since financial aid is disbursed at the beginning of the semester, it should already have been received. Students who are still expecting to receive Pell Grant and Federal Direct Loan disbursements will not be impacted by this shutdown.

Additionally, because most aid programs are funded a year in advance, they should not be impacted by a short-term shutdown. Depending on the length of the shutdown programs that are not forward-funded, such as the Federal Work-Study Program and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants, may be affected because they rely on what is appropriated by Congress at the start of the fiscal year.

The Department of Education and the Office of Federal Student Aid use contractors for most student-aid operations, which should minimize disruptions. Because this is largely managed by contractors, there should be minimal impacts from a shutdown–unless input from the Department of Education is required. Borrowers looking for assistance specifically from the Department of Education will not receive it during a shutdown, and students applying for funding, whether loans or loan forgiveness, could experience delays.

Contact the Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships with questions.

Research Activities

Principal investigators (PIs) and their teams with active grant funding should continue research as planned during a federal government shutdown, unless instructed otherwise by the university or their sponsor. During a shutdown, federal agencies cannot issue new grants and are unlikely to provide technical assistance to PIs.

If a government shutdown delays, or is expected to delay, a funding increment, PIs should seek guidance from their school on how to proceed.  If not authorized to continue work, PIs must pause work on affected projects. Otherwise, research should continue unless explicit guidance to the contrary is issued by the university.

During a shutdown, federal research agencies cannot:

  • Launch new programs
  • Issue new grant awards
  • Enter into new contracts
  • Review pending applications

In addition, federal datasets used by researchers and students may be unavailable or not updated, and federal laboratories and user facilities will be closed.

Contacts for additional information:

International Students and Scholars

Most government agencies that deal directly with immigration-related issues will continue to operate.

  • Customs and Border Protection – Operations at the port of entry are considered essential and CBP will continue to admit travelers to the U.S. However, applications processed at the border may be impacted.
  • Student and Exchange Visitor Program – SEVP, which manages the SEVIS database, is fee-funded, so its operations will be unaffected.
  • Immigration and Customs Enforcement – ICE’s removal and enforcement operations will continue.
  • Social Security Administration – SSA will continue to issue new and replacement SSN cards, so students and scholars who need them can still apply. (Reminder: Employees do not need to wait for the SSN to begin working).
  • Department of State – DOS is partially fee-funded, so an initial shutdown will have little impact on visa processing. However, a prolonged shutdown could interrupt non-emergency services and visas for students and scholars could be delayed.
  • U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – USCIS is fee-funded, and applications impacting students and scholars–such as Optional Practical Training (OPT) or change of status applications–should be processed as normal, but slowdowns and processing delays may occur.
  • Department of Labor – DOL does not operate during a shutdown. This means that any new employment-based petitions that require steps with DOL (such H-1B visas and employment-based green cards) will be suspended. This applies only to petitions that have not yet been filed with USCIS. Any petitions currently pending with USCIS will continue to be processed.
  • Additionally, E-Verify will likely be suspended.

Federal reporting obligations continue as normal, regardless of any disruption to typical government functions.

Contact International Student and Scholar Services or Employee Immigration Services with questions.

Veterans

Depending on which activities are deemed essential, delays in benefit processing for veteran students may occur.

Please direct questions to Vanderbilt’s School Certifying Official within the University Registrar’s Office at vasco@vanderbilt.edu.

Additional Questions

Additional questions not covered on this landing page may be emailed to federalrelations@vanderbilt.edu.