The United States federal government shutdown has reached its 36th day since beginning on Oct. 1. Access to federal benefits remains uncertain.
Federal grants to Texas Tech will be delayed and operations with the agencies will be ceased. Tech receives funding from agencies including the Department of Defense, Department of Agriculture and Department of Homeland Security, according to the USAspending government website.
Tech has been monitoring the effect of the shutdown and its impact towards financial aid. Vice president of Marking & Communication Allison Hirth said students will still receive their federal aid.
“While communication from the U.S. Department of Education has been slower, and access to certain federal websites has been intermittently limited, Student Financial Aid & Scholarships reports that students are still receiving their federal aid as expected, and the university continues to process FAFSA updates without interruption,” Hirth wrote in an email statement to The Daily Toreador.
Student Business Services will waive late tuition and free payments to ease difficulties a student may be facing, Hirth said.
Federal agencies and staff will not be permitted to travel to research conferences, meetings or reviews with Tech. Grant submissions will still be operational, but federal agency staff will be unavailable to process awards, according to the Tech Office of Research Services.
Support for federally funded projects will continue unless instructions are received from the Tech Office of Management & Budget or partnered government agencies. New and continuing award offers from agencies will be delayed, and employment opportunities tied to award funding may be affected, according to the Research Services website.