- What a government shutdown means for youCNNLIVE UPDATES
How the government shutdown is affecting Americans
By Harmeet Kaur, CNNUpdated 34 min ago1:04 p.m. ET, January 5, 2019Share34 min ago The shutdown is messing with financial aid
The IRS is one of the federal agencies closed during the government shutdown.Several students say they haven't been able to get the tax transcripts they need in order to process their financial aid. It's left some of them unable to afford tuition and possibly having to delay their courses for another semester.Here's what some students told us."I am in the process of transferring to UNC Charlotte for my teaching degree. I am in need of tax transcripts for myself and my wife but the IRS website transcript function is not working due to the shutdown. With the semester starting in five days, I am now worried that if I cannot get these transcripts in on time, I will be unable to afford college this semester," Ben Pearson says.
"If I don't get the forms from IRS before my deadline, I won't get any financial aid disbursed and will have to take a entire semester off because we obviously cannot afford to pay the entire tuition without that financial aid," Simran S. says.
"My college has asked to provide 2016 tax transcript from IRS in order for the financial aid fund to be released to pay the tuition for Jan 2019 semester. But due to the shut down, all IRS local office and online and phone services are down. The due date for that was yesterday and I missed it. Now I have to wait until September to take those classes," Sunny says.
1 hr 38 min ago A Coast Guard spouse has thought about returning her son's Christmas gifts
The shutdown has been a stressful time for some US Coast Guard families, as about 42,000 service members are being forced to work without pay.Kayla, whose husband serves in the Coast Guard, says it took a toll on the holiday season.For me personally, my holidays were very stressful. I thought about returning my son's Christmas gifts."Things could get even tougher. Kayla says she's a full-time student, majoring in education. She has to start working at a local middle school soon, meaning her son will have to go to day care. It's a bill she says she can't avoid.Kayla says she feels like the Coast Guard has been forgotten in the shutdown, even though it's a branch of the military tasked with protecting Americans.Watch her interview with Anderson Cooper:1 hr 49 min ago This family is finally in DC ... with nothing to see
Cheryl writes:My family has saved our money for a long time to visit DC. Here we are with no Smithsonians to see. I doubt we will ever be able to come back again."1 hr 39 min ago An air traffic controller warns the shutdown could affect flights
It's not just TSA that's running into staffing issues. Mike Jones writes that air traffic control staffing levels are very low, and warns that flights could start getting delayed or canceled."How about the air traffic controllers running skeleton crews on shift every day making sure the nation’s air space is safe? Thousands of us are showing up to work without getting paid."
Stuart writes that he's one of the air traffic controllers required to come into work without knowing when he'll be paid. His wife just had a baby and he says he was planning on taking two weeks off to help her recover. Now, Stuart says he's being told that any time he takes off could possibly be unpaid."Living in uncertainty is no way for me to take care of the financial burden on my family. On top of that, other controllers are being assigned overtime to cover me being away. We are not bargaining chips in a political game."
2 hr 26 min ago Their lack of income has put them in an 'embarrassing' situation
Barbara L. Benedict says she and her husband are both federal employees. Because of the shutdown, their household has no income.Calling the landlord, car payment, credit card, and student loan companies have been the most embarrassing thing I have ever had to do."Benedict says she's had to call doctors and dentists to reschedule appointments for later in the year because the couple "can't commit our money to anything but surviving."The unknown is affecting every aspect of our lives, and it is starting to worry our kids also."3 hr 24 min ago A NASA contractor says she won't get paid for her time out of work
Linda Walker is a NASA contractor at John C. Stennis Space Center in south Mississippi who says she's been furloughed. She says she won't get paid for all the days she didn't work due to the shutdown.Praying this government shutdown ends quickly as we cannot afford to stay home."
To the best of my ability I write about my experience of the Universe Past, Present and Future
No comments:
Post a Comment