WASHINTON (AFNS) —
To the Airmen of the United States Air Force:
As you are no doubt aware, funding for the federal government expired at midnight. The administration is urging Congress to enact a
short term continuing resolution to fund the federal government to allow Congress more time to finalize the budget for the remainder of this year. In the meantime, we have no choice but to comply with the law and conduct only those operations that are authorized for national security, health
and safety.
Military personnel on active duty, including reservists on federal service, will continue to report for duty. Separate guidance will be provided to the Chief of the Air Force Reserve and Director of the Air National Guard pertaining to traditional Reservists and drill status Guardsmen.
Unfortunately, the shutdown requires we furlough all non-excepted civilian personnel until we receive an appropriation. This requirement is no reflection on how important you are to our team. We simply have no choice under the law. If you are not involved in excepted activities, you should still report as normal on your first scheduled workday after the shutdown. You will have paid time to conduct an orderly shutdown.
To understand whether your function is excepted from the shutdown, you should talk to your supervisor. You can find the Defense Department guidance at www.defense.gov. The United States Office of Personnel Management is the lead agency for the Federal government and additional information will be available on their website www.opm.gov.
We are concerned about all of you who are affected by this action. We have asked Commanders and Supervisors to talk to every one of you directly to ensure you have all the information and support we can provide. We want to make this as painless as possible, consistent with the law.
Thank you for your continued service and professionalism during this uncertain and challenging time.