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Government Shutdown Impacting FBI's Ability To Protect Americans, War On Drugs

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Federal agents are not only concerned about their bank accounts but also how the government shutdown impacts their ability to protect Americans and fight the war on drugs.

"You don't go into the FBI to get rich. You go into the FBI to serve your country," said J.J. Klaver, a retired supervisory FBI agent.

Most people show up to their job expecting a paycheck for their hours worked but 32 days into a government shutdown there seems to be no end in sight.

"This is an historic event. There's never been a shutdown of this length. The shutdowns I went through in my career we never missed a whole paycheck," said Klaver.

The FBI Agents Association announced the shutdown is hurting national security operations, which include investigations into terrorism, sex trafficking, gangs, indictments.

"I think a lot of that is really going to focus on more covert and ongoing undercover operations--things that are funded differently than overt things that the FBI pays directly," said Klaver.

Security clearances are also in jeopardy if agents can't pay their bills on time.

"Every FBI employee goes through a 5-year reinvestigation with a top secret security clearance. You could see the impact on individuals to maintain top-secret security clearances," Klaver says.

With limited resources and low morale, everyone impacted by the shutdown is hoping the government reopens soon.

Nearly 13,000 agents and support staff will not get paid this Friday. It's the second missed check since the shutdown started.

 

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