The FBI Agents’ Association believes a partial government shutdown could threaten national security, CNN reported after obtaining the association’s statement.
This means that “a shutdown could undermine the FBI’s ability to carry out its duties at a time when the country faces unprecedented threats to national security.” The association believes a shutdown could negatively impact “investigations, forensic analysis, and the FBI’s cooperation with law enforcement agencies” both domestically and internationally.
The US federal government partially shut down at midnight on October 1 due to a funding shortage. This occurred after representatives of the ruling Republican and opposition Democratic parties in Congress failed to agree on a number of spending items, including healthcare. They accuse each other of provoking the shutdown and prolonging it for political purposes.
According to US law, departments and agencies responsible for national security and foreign policy activities continue to operate if federal government funding is suspended. The same requirements apply to government employees whose work is aimed at “protecting life and property.” Government employees forced to work under such conditions do not receive salaries, but they are typically paid after the issue of access to funds is resolved.
Since 1977, funding for federal government activities has been suspended more than 20 times due to disagreements between the administration and Congress. The longest suspension was 35 days, from December 22, 2018, to January 25, 2019, during Donald Trump’s first term as president.