(CNN) – The U.S. Department of Education is preparing for a possible government shutdown.

On Sunday, officials announced the department’s contingency plan if lawmakers fail to pass a spending bill by late Tuesday.

According to the plan, 1,500 of its 1,700 employees would be furloughed should the shutdown happen.

The furloughed employees would include most staff at the Office of Federal Student Aid.

Some essential employees would stay on to keep loans and grants moving.

However, the agency would stop issuing new grants and reviewing civil rights complaints.

If the shutdown lasts longer than a week, the department said it would have to bring some workers back on a partial or rotating basis.

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