David Ugochukwu doesn’t look at political headlines anymore. “I somewhat pay attention to the news,” he says. “I used to do it a lot, but the way things are popping up and down with the federal government, it’s a sore subject.”
Ugochukwu’s mother, Lucy, works for the U.S. Department of the Treasury in customer service. She hasn’t received a paycheck since the end of December due to the ongoing government shutdown. That paycheck covers her son’s tuition at Penn State–Schuylkill, and although she was able to pay fall tuition, she cannot cover the last installment for her son’s housing.