Between uncertainty over SNAP payments amid the government shutdown and the rising cost of living, many students are turning to campus food pantries to help meet basic needs.
Northwestern University has agreed to pay $75 million to restore $750 million in federal funding that was suspended over government allegations of "unlawful discrimination."
Critics say issues with accessing federal career and technical education funding could preview bigger problems when the Trump administration starts to outsource more of the Education Department’s responsibilities to other agencies.
Hundreds of students at California State University, Sacramento, or Sac State, visit the school’s Basic Needs Resource Center every week, where they can select up to a dozen items per trip.
College food pantries in California’s Central Valley are struggling to stay stocked amid the government shutdown. With federal aid halted, schools like Fresno City and Clovis are turning to local donations to feed students in need.
All schools can now sign on to a higher ed compact, which offers preferential funding treatment in exchange for compliance with components of President Donald Trump's agenda.
"It takes four years just to learn the role and then another couple of years to figure out what to do with it," James Birge says, who will soon retire from the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
The lawsuit claims the Education Department violated the First Amendment by forcing partisan language into workers’ out-of-office emails during the shutdown. It names the Department of Education and Secretary Linda McMahon as defendants.
During the shutdown, previously awarded federal grants to schools are expected to continue, but new grants are paused until Congress acts. Student loan borrowers and education programs could face further disruption if the shutdown drags on.
