The shutdown of the federal government is likely to worsen the delays student loan borrowers are already facing in accessing programs required by Congress and mandated in their loan terms.

More than 1 million borrowers are in a backlog to enroll in an income-driven repayment plan , according to court records from mid-September.

During the shutdown, Federal Student Aid staff "will not be able to perform regular operations, including working on the IDR backlog," a spokesperson for the Education Department told CNBC on Wednesday. That day, the U.S. government shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal, meaning that most of the federal workers at the Education Department would be temporarily put on unpaid leave .

"Even before the shutdown, borrowers were at

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