Spy Agencies Forced to Furlough 70 Percent of Civilian Employees

photo credit: fonstok

photo credit: fonstok

The government shutdown has forced spy agencies to furlough 70 percent of their civilian employees, according to a senior intelligence official.

The furloughed employees include both support staff and intelligence analysts, according to the official.

Furloughs are being ordered across the federal government Tuesday as officials decide which employees are “essential” and should stay on the job despite the failure of Congress to approve a funding measure.

A spokesman for the director of national intelligence warned the shutdown would hamper the ability of the United States to track threats to national security.

“The Intelligence Community’s ability to identify threats and provide information for a broad set of national security decisions will be diminished for the duration,” Shawn Turner, a spokesman for Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, said in a statement.

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