"Most urgently, the USDA will not use emergency funds to help cover the costs of the Supplement Nutrition Assistance Program. More than a million college students who rely on SNAP for their basic needs won't have that support starting Saturday. Mark Huelsman, the director of policy and advocacy at the Hope Center for Student Basic Needs, said the situation will force students and colleges into "an impossible situation" and could lead to many students dropping out."
"The crisis extends beyond food insecurity into student support programs, with the shutdown throwing veterans' education into limbo. Nobody is answering the GI Bill hotline that thousands of veterans use each month to get information on tuition, eligibility and housing allowances. Staff at Veterans Affairs regional offices are furloughed, putting an end to career counseling and delaying GI Bill claims. As direct services to students falter, colleges are moving into mitigation mode."
"Gap funds, meant to serve institutions in these circumstances, are dwindling. Inside Higher Ed reported last week that institutions are limiting travel, research and job offers in order to preserve cash while hundreds of millions in research funds are on pause. A training program funded by a grant from the Labor Department is on hold because a federal program officer isn't at work to approve the next tranche of cash."
The month-long government shutdown is cutting emergency USDA support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, leaving more than a million college students without SNAP starting Saturday. Veterans' education services are in limbo as GI Bill hotlines go unanswered and Veterans Affairs regional staff are furloughed, halting career counseling and delaying claims. Colleges are drawing down gap funds and restricting travel, research, and hiring to preserve cash while hundreds of millions in research awards remain paused. Federal grant-funded training programs are stalled when program officers are furloughed. Political maneuvers to protect some higher education funding risk exposing other education programs to rescissions.
Read at Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs
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