As the U.S. House and Senate failed to pass a spending bill by midnight Friday, the country is seeing a government shutdown, which will have an impact on some local people.
Naval Support Activity Crane, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Defense, is affected by the lack of passage of the appropriations bill.
NSA Crane Public Affairs Officer Jeffre Nagan said the shutdown could see a furlough of roughly 30-40 jobs among the more than 5,000 employees who work on the base.
“Due to a lapse in the federal government approving an appropriations bill or continuing resolution, installations throughout the Department of Defense, to include Naval Support Activity Crane, are subject to a shutdown furlough,” Nagan explained Saturday morning.
“Although the mission of NSA Crane and its tenant partners will continue unabated, there will be a measurable impact in support and administration functions at the installation level.”
Those 30-40 jobs mentioned with fall among the support and administrative areas.
The installation will be largely unaffected by the furlough, including NSA Crane’s tenants, Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) and Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC) Crane.
“Specific functions such as most emergency services, security and uniformed service members, are exempt from furlough. Organizations such as Crane Army Ammunition Activity and Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane division are also exempt. That accounts for about 90 percent of the workforce at Naval Support Activity Crane,” Nagan explained.
NSWC and CAAA function under a business model, which ultimately means the two Naval Support Activity Crane tenants will not be directly affected. While their own budgets do not come from the Department of Defense funding through the appropriations bill, some of their customers may be.
“The good news is, our mission will continue,” Nagan added.
Nagan said as the installation navigates the government shutdown, it will still work to ensure those affected by the furlough are doing well.
“Crane is a family and we are going to continue to make contact with those impacted by this and make sure they are doing well throughout the entire evolution,” Nagan said.
The Associated Press reported this is the fourth government shutdown in the last 25 years, but noted, “White House budget director Mick Mulvaney predicted a deal would be reached by Monday when most government offices are to reopen after the weekend.”