How the government shutdown will impact schools, student loans

With the federal government shutdown now in effect, administrators, students, teachers and families may be concerned about the impact on the Department of Education and how student loan borrowers could be affected if the shutdown continues in the days and weeks to come.
The Department of Education has already been gutted this year, since President Trump signed an executive order in March to shut down the department, and the federal agency has laid off nearly half of its workforce.
The layoffs went into effect over the summer and approximately 80% of department staff are already furloughed.
Are student loans impacted by the shutdown?
The department told ABC News that on an immediate basis, federal funding and disbursement of certain programs such as student loans and Pell Grants for nearly 10 million students is expected to continue, as the budget is earmarked from past mandatory appropriations bills.
Essential employees will also continue other