Unless you have been under a rock over the Winter break, or otherwise out of the loop, you’ve surely heard about the government shutdown in Washington, D.C. Shutdowns occur when Congress and the White House cannot agree on a fiscal budget resulting in an economic gridlock.

Fresh off the heels of the longest shutdown in American history, President Donald J. Trump was finally invited to deliver the annual State of The Union address to a joint session of Congress, which had been previously denied due to the shutdown.

The primary factor causing the impasse between Trump and Congressional leaders is a wall at the southern border targeting Mexico. Trump infamously blames undocumented immigrants for everything from crime, economic strain, the Rams losing and many things in between. And true to form, despite all evidence showing otherwise, including but not limited to immigration experts and even the drug cartels themselves, the usual partian politics is reigning supreme.

Caught in the shutdown crossfire are government workers from both sides of the political aisle and students around the country. As expected, in his State of The Union address, Trump again called for the wall to be built, although he knows this won’t pass in Congress.

Another demand for the wall came at the omittance of a particular topic that should alarm students. There was no mention of student loan relief. According to the Department of Education, over 42 million Americans owe a combined $1.33 trillion in federal student loans. This presents a major threat to our economy and a looming threat to students across the nation.