Senior Zach Engel was both devastated and angered to learn that the new government sequester will be getting rid of all military financial aid for students.

“They’ve just told me about the budget cuts after I’ve been accepted,” said Engel. “Now I have no way of paying for college.”

Sequestration is the cutting of budgets to particular categories of federal spending. The sequester was enacted by the government on March 1, and one consequence will be major cuts to military financial aid. Starting with the Army branches, the sequester will then move to the other branches of military.

“I feel abandoned by the government,” said Engel. “I have just lost all respect for everyone higher up than me that makes all of the decisions.”

The new sequester will put into place $85 billion dollars worth of automatic spending cuts, lowering the budget of federal agencies, airport screenings and law enforcement. Federal agencies, such as Homeland Security, the Pentagon, and the Department of Education, have all prepared to notify employees that they will have to take one unpaid day off per week through the end of the year. Junior Joey Dawson was upset to learn that these new cuts will affect his life.

“It will create major limitations on my future plans for marriage and family,” said Dawson.

Dawson is training to join the Air Force and will now have no financial aid to help pay for all of his college tuition. The sequester will lower the budget of many military branches, only allowing them a certain amount of money to use. Some branches will be forced to dial back their support with helping to pay for all of the college costs.

How will this affect the trust of the people joining these branches of service? Junior Zoe Keller is upset that the government will not be there anymore to protect and assist the people joining the service.

“People are willing to join and go out and risk their lives,” said Keller. “The government can’t even give them money to help pay for school.”