University students and their families say they’ve grown increasingly concerned about the government shutdown’s effects on their lives. Certain government services have been suspended, and around 1.5 million federal employees have worked without pay or been on unpaid leave.
On Oct. 1, the previous federal budget expired, and both political parties could not agree to pass a budget funding government services. As of Monday night, Senators were poised to approve a compromise deal to end the country’s longest-ever shutdown.
A Republican-backed funding bill passed the House but has remained stalled in the Senate as Democrats dig-in over several demands, including that Republicans agree to extend Medicare subsidies that expire this year.
The shutdown has impacted the economy, employee pay, veterans services, and on Nov. 1, shut down funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, around 752,000 Alabamians, one in seven, benefited from SNAP in 2024. The program provides money to low-income individuals and families to help cover their grocery bills.
Following legal challenges, the Trump Administration said it would deliver partial SNAP payments but that they would be delayed.
Under federal judges’ rulings last week, at least nine states had begun to pay out full SNAP benefits to recipients.
The Trump administration filed an emergency appeal to the Supreme Court against lower court rulings, and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson ordered a pause on the lower court’s ruling that required the Trump Administration to fully fund SNAP by the end of the day on Nov. 7.
Jackson said the pause would continue until the 1st U.S Circuit Court of Appeals issues a judgement on the matter.
Due to the shutdown, campus organizations have made efforts to show their support for affected individuals.
Cameron Hahn, president of Beat Auburn Beat Hunger, said she thought the reach of the student organization’s annual food drive for the West Alabama Food Bank could be affected if the government continued to be shut down. She said that rather than lasting through February as usual, the food from the drive would likely run out in mid-January.
“Our focus is on just getting as much money and as much food as we can,” she said. “Generally, our drive generates enough funds and physical donations that last them through February.”
The West Alabama Food Bank, an affiliate of Feeding America, posted to Instagram saying the “suspension will create an immediate increase in need across West Alabama.”
In 2024, SNAP delivered more than nine times the amount of food that the Feeding America network generated.
Hahn said that raising awareness about how the shutdown is “really not okay” is something that the University’s campus needs to “do a better job of.”
“If you have been on the fence about helping, like, now is the time to help, because we really need it,” Hahn said.
Samuel McKinney, president of UA College Democrats, pointed to SNAP benefits as a major socioeconomic issue that concerned both sides of the political spectrum.
“I think you’re going to see people hungry, and that’s a really bad thing,” he said. “You’ve seen people from across the aisle come out and say that SNAP benefits need to be funded.”
McKinney referenced Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley as a Republican who was “calling for SNAP benefits to be funded.”
Hawley sponsored a bill on Oct. 21 to fund the food program nationwide until the shutdown ends, which has since been supported by Alabama Sen. Katie Britt.
According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville suggested that young men who are receiving SNAP benefits “should be working.”
Nationwide, 86% of SNAP households with working-age, non-disabled adults were earning income in 2024.
“If our government is not there to make sure that people are getting food and being fed and have jobs in certain areas, it could get catastrophic,” McKinney said, adding that SNAP running out of funds would be “detrimental for the economy as a whole.”
Feeding America found that every $1 in SNAP benefits can generate up to $1.50 in economic activity.
Additionally, the government shutdown has raised national concerns about student benefits and aid. The American Council on Education said that although the FAFSA is still available to college students, “students applying for funding—including federal loans or loan forgiveness—could experience processing delays” during the shutdown.
Hannah Trahan, a freshman majoring in neuroscience, said she was concerned about her education and that the political instability is “always” on my mind.
“I’m scared for my education because I am here on scholarships,” she said. “I’m here with FAFSA. I’m relying on this federally funded school to keep giving me my education,” she said.
Trahan said the shutdown was something people “should be more aware about.”
Conner Forbes, SGA vice president for financial affairs, said SGA plans to host financial literacy events next semester and mentioned the Office of Student Care and Well-Being as a resource for students facing financial issues or food insecurity.
“It’s just like the government is so at war with one another,” Trahan said. “The people are in the middle. People are in the middle of the billionaires fighting.”
