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Politics

Administration Circulates Plans For Possible Homeland Security Shutdown

The Obama administration is circulating procedures for how the Department of Homeland Security will operate in the event of a midnight shutdown.

The 46-page document outlines what is exempt from the shutdown, including airport security checkpoints, Secret Service activities and border patrols. But employees involved in planning, auditing, training and other policy functions would be furloughed.

Employees who keep working during a shutdown would not be paid until Congress approves additional funding.

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Related: Partial Shutdown? House Rejects Homeland Security Funding

Hours before the midnight deadline, the Republican-controlled House unexpectedly rejected short-term funding for DHS. The vote's failure increases the prospect of a partial shutdown of an agency with major anti-terrorism responsibilities.

The administration guidance says the government will wait until the last minute to notify employees of furloughs and that workers will be allotted four hours to ramp down their activities.

Employees put on furlough will be prohibited from using their government-issued mobile devices, other than to read and respond to notices about their furlough status, according to the guidance.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.