<P> Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) were affected in the shutdown . The Aerospace Corporation, which is the FFRDC for national security space, was directed to issue a stop work order to all but mission - critical tasks by United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center, effectively furloughing 2,000 of its 3,500 employees . </P> <P> The General Services Administration furloughed a large part of its 11,821 - employee staff while maintaining an active workforce of about 4,094 to continue maintenance of federal property and to continue ongoing construction projects through the Public Buildings Service . Employees of the Federal Acquisition Service not immediately furloughed were subject to a phased shutdown that would take 25 business days . </P> <P> Intelligence agencies continued to operate but 70% of the civilian workforce was furloughed . Reuters reported that the Central Intelligence Agency furloughed approximately 12,500 employees . There was less of an impact at the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, as a large percentage of the workforce of these agencies are uniformed members of the military . NSA Director Keith B. Alexander said that the agency had furloughed "over 960 Ph. D.s, over 4,000 computer scientists, (and) over a thousand mathematicians ." A spokesman for the Director of National Intelligence said: "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 . The immediate and significant reduction in employees on the job means that we will assume greater risk and our ability to support emerging intelligence requirements will be curtailed . The fraction of Intelligence Community employees who remain on the job will be stretched to the limit and forced to focus only on the most critical security needs ." It was predicted that If the shutdown lasted for more than a few weeks intelligence operations would also be affected by delays in awarding new contracts or paying existing contractors . </P> <P> The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board postponed hearings on NSA surveillance that were scheduled for October 4 . </P>

Who is affected by a federal government shutdown