As the partial government shutdown continues in its second week, the impact on employees continues to evolve. The largest change is at DoD, which earlier this week called back to work about 90 percent of the roughly 400,000 employees it had furloughed last week. That action, which brings the number of employees currently on furlough down to about 450,000, followed an interpretation of a newly enacted law designed to assure that military personnel continue to receive their pay, which also contained authority to keep on the job civilian employees who even indirectly support military readiness. However, like the majority of federal employees, who have been on the job all along, those recalled employees are in unpaid status until the shutdown ends. Meanwhile, FEMA recalled some employees to cope with the impact of a tropical storm, but the VA moved in the opposite direction by furloughing some regional office staff and IT personnel who initially remained on the job. Several operations that have kept employees in pay status by using money not tied to one fiscal year or funds from certain fees could find that flexibility running out soon. The largest of those is the federal court system, which has projected that it has enough money to operate only into next week on that basis. Similarly, DoD has said that if the shutdown drags on it might re-furlough some of employees it called back because with the department unable to replenish supplies and equipment, they cannot do their jobs.
