The partial government shutdown that began on Saturday has resulted in furloughs for nearly 33,000 federal employees from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which represents about 13 percent of the organization’s approximately 245,000 person workforce. DHS’s law enforcement and emergency management functions are largely unaffected by the shutdown, with most employees exempt from furloughs at components like Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, among others. Significant numbers of furloughs are in effect for employees at components whose operations pertain to planning, research and development, and training and exercises, among other functions. One of these components is the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), which was established just last month. Of its approximately 3,500 employees, over 1,500 are on furlough. The shutdown also affects some of DHS’s work performed by contractors. For contract work that requires federal employee oversight, all or many of the tasks performed by contractors ceases if the responsible federal employee is on furlough. Additionally, DHS cannot approve new contracts until after the shutdown has ended. Homeland Security Today.