On Wednesday, Oct. 1 2025 the United States government shutdown due to an expiration of the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extension Act. Along with  members of congress inside of Washington D.C. being suspended from work, a variety of other jobs such as park rangers, federal agents and certain members of essential national security.

While this shutdown may seem irrelevant to members of Liberty High School, the shutdown of the government can have an impact on senior’s ability to fill out FAFSA (financial-aid) forms while applying for colleges.

Financial aid can be key to students who are in need of financial help in their attempts to go to college. As counselor Samantha Derosier elaborated, “FAFSA is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. It’s used to apply for federal student aid like grants, work-study, and loans for college or career school. It is free to fill out and is the primary tool for accessing financial aid, as many states and colleges also use FAFSA data to determine eligibility for their own aid programs and some private organizations.”

While the FAFSA forms do not provide assistance with financial aid applying for colleges, they do have the ability to help financially towards a student’s tuition when accepted into a college. While each college’s financial-aid programs work differently, every student is encouraged to fill out the FAFSA form to see if they are eligible.

FAFSA forms may be essential to some students who are applying for college. “[FAFSA}can be helpful to students and families because it can provide a way for students to get an education that they may not be able to afford on their own. Students and families should use caution when using federal funding for college as the loans will need to be paid off and student loans can have a high interest rate”, as explained by Derosier.

While students can currently apply for the FAFSA form, the form will not be able to go through until the government is back and able assess them. This conflict may have led certain students away from applying for colleges on free application week, which began on Tuesday, Oct. 7 and ended on Thursday, Oct. 9.

These free applications provide a cost-free opportunity to apply for colleges within Colorado for residents of the state. While almost all other schools will no longer have free applications, for those who missed free application week certain schools like CSU Fort Collins, Adams State, and PPSC will always be free to apply to.

Derosier made sure to emphasize that the government shutdown should not impact where or if a student is able to get into a college of their desire, and stated the shutdown should not discourage students from applying for colleges. “ Universities will also award financial aid based on the FAFSA information provided”, said Derosier.

The government shutdown may have impacted students applying for colleges, however it can also affect Liberty families in other ways, including students who have family members working within the government.

John Smith, father of Liberty senior Brodie Smith, is a member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Although the government is currently not in session, Smith is required to work throughout the shutdown because of his job being characterized as an “expected position”. 

Despite Smith’s work in performing emergency, national security, and property protection tasks, Smith is not guaranteed to be paid until after the shutdown is over. This ‘backpay’ is what many workers are forced to deal with during the shutdown, and do not receive the money for their work until after the government is reinstated.

While this issue may not seem substantial, if the government is shut down for an extended amount of time it can be months before workers are paid for the labor they are providing for the country. As Smith said, “There should be minimal impacts on Liberty families if the shutdown is resolved within 30 days. If it is an extended shutdown, families could begin to experience financial difficulties.”

On top of this, Smith emphasized that many organizations, such as banking institutions, are offering zero interest loans to government employees who have their paychecks deposited to the banks. While the loan is repaid with delayed paycheck earnings after the shutdown, this could contribute to financial issues within Liberty families.

As of Sunday Oct. 12, the government is still shutdown and it is unclear when it will become reinstated. While some Liberty families may not believe they are affected by these issues, government shutdowns often have a large impact over the entire nation. Many government employees have been furloughed (temporarily laid off) from their jobs, while others may have been impacted in a way such as Smith. 

It is important to do research over how this shutdown affects you or your ability to do things like apply for colleges.