O’Neill student learns from government shutdown during internship

Written by: Connor Elliott; Edited by: Leslie Wells

When the federal government closed its doors on October 1, 2025, hundreds of thousands of federal employees were told not to report to work. Lawmakers were in a standoff over appropriations legislation for the upcoming fiscal year.

O’Neill students studying in Washington, D.C., with O’Neill’s Washington Leadership Program were also caught up in the chaos, including Public Policy major Connor Elliott who was interning for California Representative Pete Aguilar. His position also included providing support for the House Democratic Caucus.

“The House of Representatives furloughed all interns at midnight on October 1,” he recalls. “So, from October 1 to November 12, I was not allowed to be in the office.”

But he says the decision wasn’t a surprise to him or other legislative interns.

“As part of our internships, we’re expected to stay up to date on the news,” Elliott shares. “As a result, by mid-September, I knew a shutdown was very likely.”

The process behind preparing for a government shutdown is one most people never see, but Elliott lived through it in real time.

“The legislative and executive branches approached the shutdown differently,” he explains. “Down Pennsylvania Avenue, the director of the Office of Management and Budget provides directives leading up to the shutdown for executive branch employees, but in the halls of Congress, decisions happened at the chamber level.”

He says even within Congress, there were differences in how the shutdown was handled.

“In the House of Representatives, where I interned, the House Administration Committee determined interns were not essential, causing us to be furloughed,” he says. “But my peers in the Senate said each Senate office operated in their own way—some furloughing and others not.”

Inside each of those processes were individuals who needed to know their next steps.

“Our internship director explained to us why we were furloughed, and what was allowed during that time,” Elliott adds. “I spent my final day before the shutdown receiving constituent input and stayed late into the night to help with a virtual town hall for Representative Aguilar.”

The next day was completely different. This wasn’t the type of event Elliott had anticipated, but it was part of the system in which he wants to work.

He says he came to the O’Neill School with dreams of making a difference for people who grew up like he did.

“I remember waiting in food bank lines during the Great Recession,” he says. “That experience filled me with a passion to ensure no other child has to have a memory like that.”

He knew he could help others through policy and politics. After three years at O’Neill, he applied for WLP.

“The Washington Leadership Program always seemed like the perfect fit for my passion and ambition,” he says.

WLP students live and learn in the nation’s capital for one semester. As part of the program, they must secure an internship.

Elliott explains that in his position, he often was tasked with doing what others might view as grunt work—answering phone calls and emails —but he stresses this work is critically important.

“Constituents need an outlet for their concerns,” he explains.

Elliott also worked on supporting Rep. Aguilar’s legislative assistants, summarizing briefings, working on policy research, tracking bills, and more.

Outside of their internships, all WLP students take two courses delving into the federal policymaking process—a process Elliott was witnessing firsthand.

“Professor [Brian] Volsky is an absolute library of information and effective teaching,” Elliott says. “We read government documents, studied the United States Code and the Federal Code of Regulations, wrote draft bills, simulated a congressional hearing, and heard from so many talented professionals.”

Many of those professionals spoke during O’Neill’s D.C. Colloquium, an annual event that brings Washington Leadership Program and Civic Leaders Center students together with O’Neill alumni and public sector experts for an evening of discussion about public service and leadership.

It’s an annual tradition for fall semester WLP students, and one that provided a sense of normalcy during the 43-day-long government shutdown. Elliott says he went from spending 32–40 hours a week assisting Rep. Aguilar’s office to zero hours.

“It was very unfortunate to lose that time on Capitol Hill, but I found ways to still have an experience worth remembering,” he says.

He spent his newfound downtime watching Senate committee hearings, exploring national monuments, attending seminars through the Congressional Management Foundation, and preparing for the future.

“The shutdown provided me with a chance to work my own projects, get ahead on schoolwork, and more, but it also allowed time for reflection about myself and the current state of the policy process,” Elliott said. “I learned more about my ability to adapt to an always-changing situation, and make sure I am staying productive.”

Elliott says the entire experience also showed him how critically important dialogue is when it comes to policy work.

“I firmly believe had there been more conversations, our elected officials could have averted a shutdown in the first place,” he adds.

After the longest government shutdown in U.S. history, Elliott finally received the news that he was returning to Capitol Hill.

“The evening of November 12, I received a message from my internship director explaining how soon we would be able to return to work—which ended up being the next day,” he recalls. “The first day back was a little slow, as we got the machine up and running again. Though, I knew I needed to make the most of the little time I had left in my internship.”

He did that by asking for as many projects as he could get, seeking out briefings to attend, and expanding his network. He wanted to build up his resume while he could and make connections for the future.

And he says he’ll continue to do that even after he returns home to Indiana. His next step is back into local elections, where he’ll serve as the field director for the Indiana House Democratic Caucus in the 2026 election cycle.