WASHINGTON -- As lawmakers scrambled to avert a government shutdown, federal agencies lumbered into action on Friday, laying last-minute plans for how best to do nothing -- or as little as necessary.
Federal employees, from custodians who clean buildings to the people who maintain the nuclear-weapons stockpile, sought to figure out whether they will be paid and whether they will fall into the category of "excepted" workers who would be expected to show up no matter how long the impasse lasts between Congress and President Donald Trump.
All told, about 800,000 of 2.1 million federal workers nationwide -- or more than a third -- would be affected in some way. Nearly half of that number would be sent home without pay.
Many of those left wondering about their paychecks are part of an estimated 3.7 million contract workers, including those at big consulting firms such as Deloitte, and approximately 2,000 janitors, security guards and other federal building workers who work for independent contractors.
The shutdown will not be noticeable to most Americans, since most federal offices will be closed anyway. Border Patrol agents will still be on patroland on duty at ports of entry. Air traffic controllers will still be on overnight shifts. Meat inspectors who work the midnight shift will report to work. So will wildland firefighters.
At the Justice Department, roughly 80 percent to 84 percent have been deemed essential, in large part because the Bureau of Prisons must keep running, and because of public safety and national security dimensions of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and other Justice officials.
The most visible impact of a shutdown would be in national parks and forests, with 80 percent of employees at the National Park Service facing immediate furloughs. Most parks, including the National Mall, would remain open without staff to provide guidance or support, according to the department's 2018 contingency plan.
The Smithsonian can use prior-year funds to remain open to the public. All Smithsonian museums and the National Zoo will remain open at least through Jan. 1.
Information for this article was contributed by Glenn Thrush and Mitchell Ferman of The New York Times.
A Section on 12/22/2018