The jobs of about 9,600 Oregonians are in limbo as the partial federal government shutdown, now in its seventh day, brought furloughs, closures and days working without the guarantee of a paycheck.
According to the Oregon Employment Department, 9,583 workers are employed at federal agencies that are not currently funded and are affected by the partial federal shutdown.
"Some of these workers have already been furloughed," OED state employment economist Nick Beleiciks said Friday. "Some agencies are operating through today."
Other agencies, like the U.S. District Courts, have enough funding to cover operations costs for a few more weeks.
Essential personnel are still working, even though funding for their paychecks has not been appropriated, Beleiciks said.
Locally, the shutdown has affected 424 workers in Marion County and 15 in Polk County, said Patrick O’Connor, regional economist with the Oregon Employment Department.
Of the almost 9,000 affected jobs, 6,632 are located in urban counties and 2,809 jobs are in rural counties.
The U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management are bearing the brunt of Congress' inability to pass a funding bill, accounting for nearly half of the jobs without current appropriations, Beleiciks said.
He said Oregon businesses with federal contracts may also be affected by the shutdown and lack of payments.
In Oregon, about 600 Transportation Security Administration employees, 500 Internal Revenue Service workers and 458 people working with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are affected by the lapse in funding.
Local branches of the FBI, federal prison system and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are also affected.
About 28,000 Oregonians are employed by the U.S. government, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The shutdown affects nine departments: Agriculture, Commerce, Justice, Homeland Security, Interior, State, Transportation, Treasury and Housing and Urban Development, as well as several agencies.
Many employees, including federal corrections officers, TSA employees, FBI agents and Forest Service firefighters will be working without pay during the shutdown.
The lapse in federal funding prompted Crater Lake National Park managers to close the visitor’s center, cancel ranger-guided snowshoe trips and close the road to the lake's rim.
While it technically remains open, like with most national parks and monuments, there will be almost no services, including search and rescue.
In a statement, Gov. Kate Brown said state agencies are working to find and fill gaps in essential services.
"Tentatively, the state calculates that if the shutdown lasts two to three weeks, the cash flow impacts on the state can be managed," she said.
She blamed the shutdown on President Donald Trump's plans to fund a border wall and fulfill a "campaign promise that distracts from the real needs of Americans" and called on congressional leaders "counterbalance the political games" of the Trump Administration.
In a social media posting, Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Oregon, said the shutdown is "not a game" and expressed worry over its impact on workers as it stretches into days and weeks.
"It’s having devastating real-life impacts for hundreds of thousands of workers, many of whom are living paycheck to paycheck," he said.
During the 2013 full federal government shutdown, which lasted two weeks, more than 500 federal workers in Oregon filed unemployment insurance claims, Beleiciks said.
"It wasn’t long enough to have a noticeable impact on the jobs figures or the unemployment rate," he said.
Furloughed workers may become eligible for unemployment insurance and can file claims at www.oregon.gov/employ/.
A list of frequently asked questions regarding the shutdown and unemployment insurance is available at //www.oregon.gov/EMPLOY/Documents/Partial-Shutdown-FAQs.
The federal Office of Personnel Management is advising furloughed workers to speak directly with their landlords, mortgage companies and creditors to explain their lack of funds and work out reduced or deferred payment plans.
The OPM suggests that federal workers follow up the calls with letters that recount the conversation and share their phone number, address and the details of the call.
Sample letters can be found at www.opm.gov.
For questions, comments and news tips, email reporter Whitney Woodworth at wmwoodwort@statesmanjournal.com, call 503-399-6884 or follow on Twitter @wmwoodworth