The majority of federal agencies have released contingency plans detailing how they will execute an orderly ceasing of programs. The agencies’ plans are based on which programs and employees are considered essential (excepted) or non-essential (non-excepted) during the funding hiatus.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reported in their contingency plan that only 43 of their 8,623 employees would be kept on as excepted to provide leadership and mission support for operations necessary to protect life and property. 8,530 USGS employees will be required to shutdown within a 4-6 hour window, and an additional 50 employees necessary to assist in the shutdown will have a 40-hour window. 200 USGS employees would remain “on-call” in the event of a natural disaster, including those at volcano observatories, the Seismic Laboratory, the Water Science Centers, and the Earth Resources Observation and Science Center. USGS stream gages would also remain functioning in the event of a government shutdown, as they are able to operate with little human interaction.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) reported in their contingency plan that of their approximately 2,000 employees no more than 30 would be considered excepted-employees. Of those 30 employees only those that would help maintain effective security for NSF facilities or provide the minimum-amount of assistance for those awardees who have already received grants may continue to work. NSF awardee-operated facilities will remain open as already-appropriated funding permits. As those funds are exhausted those facilities will begin an orderly shutdown.

Sources: The White House