“These are unusual times. We’re living through history. History is being made,” was what North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction (DPI) chief communications officer, Mark Dessaur, said about the current state of U.S. government and politics.
On Oct. 1, 2025, the first government shutdown in six years happened after Democratic and Republican congressional representatives failed to agree on and pass a federal budget. It is estimated that 750,000 people, 40% of the federal workforce, will be faced with unpaid leave following the current shutdown, with many government services and buildings, such as federal prisons, national parks, IRS facilities and general federal office buildings, also expected to be negatively affected. National shutdowns are detrimental to the economy, costing billions of dollars in reduced spending. It is estimated that the 2019 shutdown, during the last Trump administration, cost the United States upwards of $18 billion in federal spending.
The importance of a federal budget often goes unappreciated by US citizens, as many fail to realize its importance for daily life and the economy. The budget reflects government spending, deciding how much money will be allotted to services such as Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, Veterans programs and defense, and is created by federal agencies, who then submit it to the White House for further review. It is eventually given to Congress by the president, where members are tasked with revising the budget. The House and Senate create individual bill resolutions, which are combined into one and sent to the president a second time for approval. Congress is given a strict deadline of Oct. 1 every year when creating the budget that will dictate government spending for the next fiscal year.
The shutdown was partially a result of partisan disagreements over government spending. Democrats advocated for permanent Obamacare subsidy expansion, reduced Medicaid eligibility requirements and limits on the president’s power to cut federal spending, rejecting the Continuing Resolution (CR) bill that was set to extend government funding until Nov. 21 and would require 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster. Republicans advocated against these points, stating that they were unrelated to keeping the government operating.
Ultimately, the government shutdown affects many Americans. Although the extent to which government employees will be affected remains unknown, they are likely to experience funding cuts that will impact both their jobs and the lives of regular American citizens. The GH Falcon recently sat down with two involved individuals, Bradyn Trescott (’27) and Mark Dessauer, to inquire about the likely impacts of the shutdown.
There’s no doubt the shutdown will affect life in the United States, but to the surprise of many, it also impacts those abroad. Military families stationed in other countries have already felt the effects of the funding loss, specifically children in Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) schools, or schools on military bases.
Bradyn Trescott is a junior at Vicenza High School in Italy, a DoDEA program. Within just a day of the shutdown occurring, he already observed the educational consequences of the event. He described how his extracurriculars were put on hold due to the lack of funding. “I haven’t had practice or any of my clubs that are after school, and our tentative meets for cross country have been postponed.” Students who look forward to sporting events and clubs are now stuck in a waiting game until a political agreement can be made. Trescott also noted that this suspension will remain in effect until the shutdown is over, meaning if the shutdown persists for months, students will not be able to participate in any extracurricular activities for that same amount of time.
The shutdown is also affecting students in DoDEA programs at home, with some of their parents being furloughed. “The main fear right now for some of the military service workers is that they aren’t being paid as long as the shutdown continues at its current rate,” explained Trescott. In previous shutdowns, military workers have been compensated for the time they were furloughed after the conflict was resolved, but families still experience short-term financial hardship until they return to work.
Given the negative consequences that have already occurred, Trescott hopes a resolution is reached soon. “I understand how it could be hard for the Republicans and Democrats in Congress to compromise at this time; however, I encourage that the best interests of our nation be the focus, instead of a left vs. right thought process.” He emphasized the need for people to educate themselves on the matter and to take care of those who are struggling during this time. The experiences of students like Trescott illustrate the widespread consequences of government shutdowns. Between furloughed parents and extracurriculars being put on hold, children living on military bases outside the United States are currently feeling the effects of the shutdown to an even greater extent than those in the states.
Additionally, there are many internal impacts of the shutdown within the United States, as shared by North Carolina’s Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI) Chief Communications Officer, Mark Dessauer. NCDPI is responsible for implementing state education laws in public schools, from pre-kindergarten to 12th grade, under the direction of the State Board of Education and the State Superintendent. They provide leadership for various areas of North Carolina’s education, including 115 public school districts–accounting for 2,500 public schools–and over 200 charter schools. Additionally, they are in charge of developing and implementing standards for instruction, overseeing student assessments, controlling the licensing of 120,000 teachers and administrators, managing roughly $14 billion in state and federal dollars allotted to public schools and leading NC Virtual Public School, which is one of the nation’s largest online schooling programs.
Within Dessauer’s role specifically, he is responsible for advising the State Superintendent and other influential figures regarding communication within the program, which is especially important in government shutdowns and other times of crisis. Thankfully, North Carolina public school funding is not currently at risk, as shared by Dessauer. “Luckily, because school funding is forward funded, which means we get paid for the year ahead, we are set and safe. So we do not have to worry about federal funds from the Department of Education going to schools across the country. There are no worries there.” For the 2025-26 school year, North Carolina was awarded $165 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Education, which was held up by a federal review. Because of this, NC public schools do not currently have to worry about the halt of federal Department of Education funding right away.
Despite this good news, there are still concerns about the impact this government shutdown will have on funding for school meals. “The areas that we are paying attention to are more around school nutrition, which is funding that comes from the Department of Agriculture,” shared Dessauer. The Department of Education provides school districts with funds for meals, which are then reimbursed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). As of right now, there are only funds to reimburse September meals, due to the large quantity served. The Impact Aid program also affects school meal funding, as it provides funds to districts that may be tax-exempt due to military bases or Native American territories and are suffering a loss of tax revenue due to this. “Last year, over 216 million meals were paid for and funded across the state from these federal funds. That includes 136 million lunches. Maybe one of you ate one of those lunches, or 76 million breakfasts. That is something to pay attention to.” This is especially important in low-income areas where parents may not have the resources to provide their children with nutritious meals, or any meals at all, throughout the school week.
Although this may be a stressful time for students and parents, Dessauer encouraged students to relax and learn from the events happening around them. “I think the important question for the students is whether they’re just going to watch history or be a part of it.” He encourages students to raise their voices through attendance in local events, such as state legislative meetings. He argued that the legislators are the people who have the largest impact on education in our state.
“It’s not necessarily in this building, not the board, it’s legislators across in the general assembly.” Dessauer emphasized the importance of students learning about and getting to know the legislators responsible for their education and the funding behind it, sharing that only 11% of public education funding is given from the federal government. “You want to make an impact on education in your schools? Talk to your legislators,” he shared. During political events such as government shutdowns, it’s critical that students educate themselves on what is happening so they can make a difference.
Although North Carolina public education is not currently being affected by the shutdown, other areas that rely on federal funding– both in the United States and abroad– have already been faced with mass furloughs, suspension of activities or programs and more in the last few days. More damage is expected to be done to families and the economy if Democrats and Republicans are unable to reach a compromise soon.
