Federal government shutdown: Agencies with the most furloughs.

Which Agency Is Hardest Hit by the Government Shutdown?

Which Agency Is Hardest Hit by the Government Shutdown?

Who's winning, who's losing, and why.
Oct. 1 2013 2:09 PM

Who’s Been Most Shut Down by the Shutdown?

Which federal agencies are untouched, and which are ghost towns?

Percent of Workers Furloughed, by Agency

NASA
97%
Housing and Urban Development
96%
Education
94%
EPA
94%
Commerce
87%
Smithsonian
84%
Labor
82%
Treasury
82%
Interior
81%
White House
74%
National Institutes of Health
73%
Small Business Administration
62%
Energy
61%
Health and Human Services
52%
Food and Drug Administration
45%
Transportation
33%
Defense*
18%
Justice
16%
Homeland Security
14%
Veterans Affairs
4%
Securities and Exchange Commission
0%
The Federal Reserve
0%
United States Postal Service
0%
State Department
0%

* Department of Defense total includes military personnel. Half of civilian personnel have been furloughed.
Source: Washington Post

Congress’ failure to pass a budget has led to a federal government shutdown, but some offices are emptier than others on Tuesday because some federal workers are deemed too essential to stop working and certain agencies have independent sources of funding.

Hardest hit by the shutdown are NASA, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Department of Education, and the Environmental Protection Agency. These agencies and others have basically gone on life support, with nine out of 10 employees furloughed, according to the Washington Post.

The effect of the shutdown on the Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Department of Defense is comparatively slight, with less than 20 percent of employees furloughed in each.

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The Federal Reserve and the Postal Service will continue operating because they are self-funded agencies, and the State Department has the funding to operate normally and issue passports for a limited time.

For a full rundown of how the shutdown is impacting the services of each of these agencies, head to the Washington Post.

Correction, Oct. 1, 2013: This article originally understated the proportion of employees of the Department of Defense who have been furloughed. About 18 percent of the department's total employees have been furloughed, not 5 percent. This article also originally misstated that 91 percent of SEC employees have been furloughed. The SEC has the funds to continue running normally for a few more weeks.