How the government shutdown will affect student loans, FAFSA and the Education Dept.

"Already diminished by cuts by the Trump administration, the U.S. Education Department will see more of its work come to a halt due to the government shutdown. The department says many of its core operations will continue in the shutdown kicking off Wednesday. Federal financial aid will keep flowing, and student loan payments will still be due. But investigations into civil rights complaints will stop, and the department will not issue new federal grants."

"Agency leaders have been making plans to parcel out its operations to other departments, and in July the Supreme Court upheld mass layoffs that halved the department's staff. In a shutdown, the administration has suggested federal agencies could see more positions eliminated entirely. In past shutdowns, furloughed employees were brought back once Congress restored federal funding. This time, the White House's Office of Management and Budget has threatened the mass firing of federal workers."

A government shutdown will furlough about 87% of the Education Department workforce, halting investigations into civil rights complaints and stopping issuance of new federal grants. Federal financial aid will continue, and student loan payments will remain due as management of the $1.6 trillion federal student loan portfolio continues. Staffing has fallen from about 4,100 to about 2,500 since the presidential transition after mass layoffs that were later upheld by the Supreme Court. Agency leaders plan to parcel operations to other departments, and the White House Office of Management and Budget has threatened mass firing of federal workers. Some positions were reinstated after cuts proved too deep.

Read at ABC7 Los Angeles