The United States federal government began an ongoing shutdown on Wednesday, Oct. 1, currently the second-longest shutdown in U.S. history. Reaching 30 days as of publication, the shutdown is 5 days fewer than the longest shutdown in U.S. history, which occurred in 2018.

Dylan Maune, social studies teacher, said the shutdown was caused by Congress’ failure to pass a continuing resolution, which provides funding for government operations when regular appropriation bills have not passed.

“This is typically when we see government shutdowns happen because both political parties have different views on where money should be appropriated,” Maune said.

Maune said he is worried the shutdown may become the longest in U.S. history. During the 2018 shutdown, there were major concerns on how the country would continue to function, Maune said.

“Ultimately there needs to be compromise. It was one of the major concepts of our founding fathers at the Constitutional Convention,” Maune said. “We need to agree on what is best for the majority of Americans and people living in the United States.”

Soha Sunasara, sophomore, has educated herself on the government shutdown.

“I pay attention to politics and look at the news, and sometimes it makes me a little bit mad,” Sunasara said.

Sunasara said she often feels that a lot of people don’t understand what exactly is happening. She said many people often wonder why the government cannot figure out a budget, though it is just not that simple.

“It’s not necessarily anyone’s fault because they’re just trying to figure out what’s best for our country,” Sunasara said.

Jordan McGaughey, Rockwood social studies curriculum coordinator, said for a shutdown to end, a vote from both houses of Congress is needed to approve a plan for federal funding. Because of the current shutdown, federal workers are experiencing delays in payment until the government reopens, McGaughey said.

“Federal employees who the federal government deems to be ‘non-essential’ do not report to work until the federal government reopens, while essential workers do still report to work,” McGaughey said.

McGaughey said the district’s funds are minimally affected because 79% of Rockwood’s funding comes from local funds, 20% comes from state funds and about 0.8% of funds come from the federal government.

Despite the overall minimal funds given to public schools by the federal government, Major Terri Zuber, AFJROTC teacher, said funding and resources from the Air Force that are a major part of running the AFJROTC classes have halted due to the shutdown.

Their scheduled assessment of the cadets’ performances for Wednesday, Oct. 29 had to be modified, Major Zuber said. Rather than their typical evaluator, Dr. Gary Jansen, Assistant Superintendent Supervision of Secondary Education, and Chief Master Sergeant Bryan Shipman, ROTC instructor at Mascoutah High School in Illinois, were scheduled to do the evaluation.

“The guy who was supposed to come can’t because of the government shutdown,” Major Zuber said. “We’re limited in some of the things we normally would be doing.”

Major Zuber served for 22 years in the Air Force, and she experienced a government shutdown during her service.

“When you have a job to do and you can’t provide the support and service you need to the people you’re supposed to, it can be really frustrating,” Major Zuber said. “Then we went into a window where we didn’t get paid, and that was hard.”

Jacob Barton, senior, plans to join the Air Force after graduation. Barton said he does worry about potential shutdowns during his service.

“It would be hard for me to support myself in the military if I was not getting paid,” Barton said.

Barton said some of his favorite moments in AFJROTC were the Cadet In Action field trips, which are also affected by the shutdown.

“Our program is not able to receive the funding to go on these trips,” Barton said. “There is no Flight Academy, scholarships or field trips.”

Jacklyn Floyd, Rockwood PreK-12 Supervisor of Mental and Emotional Health, said Missouri’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will begin withholding benefits on Saturday, Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues.

“Our SNAP benefits are solely funded through federal funds, and so as of right now, the department of social services, which is a massive program that manages our staff program, was notified that the funds would not be released,” Floyd said.

Floyd said she has noticed people within the district have started to reach out to support families who may experience increased financial strain if SNAP benefits are withheld.

“Right now what I’m seeing is that we have a lot of staff members, teachers, principals, social workers and counselors who are saying ‘we know this is coming, how can we help?’” Floyd said.

Floyd said staff can help raise awareness about food insecurity to support students who are struggling. She said that lacking proper nutrition can have adverse effects on school performance.

“If you’re experiencing food insecurity, you’re having a lack of consistent nutrition, or the stress that comes with living without food access, that certainly can have an impact on education,” Floyd said. “Students can have trouble concentrating, retaining information and a reduced ability to focus.”

This story was originally published on Marquette Messenger on October 30, 2025.