The NSA furlough notice

Given that the government shutdown makes an exception for “national security,” some employees of the National Security Agency may have been surprised Tuesday to get a letter telling them their jobs don’t fall under that category.

In a memo sent to thousands of NSA staffers, shared with me by one agency employee, the NSA’s associate director of human resources noted that despite exceptions to the federal government shutdown that include “activities required for national security, including the safety of human life or the protection of property,” recipients of the letter are being sent home indefinitely. “We very much regret the shutdown furlough and recognize the difficult financial implications of any furlough, no matter how limited its length,” reads the unclassified letter. “While everyone at the NSA provides vital services, because the duties you perform do not support ‘excerpted’ functions, you will be placed in a furlough status effective 1 October 2013.”