As the prospect of a government shutdown loomed closer, government agencies have been briefing their employees and contractors over whether they are deemed to provide an essential service that will continue as Congress fights over the budget. Those declared essential will report to work on Tuesday. Those considered nonessential will be furloughed while the politics are worked out on Capitol Hill. A guide to who is and who isn’t furloughed is available here.
As government functions were deemed essential or nonessential, the topic of what is and is not an essential government service was on the minds of many Twitter users. And some who appeared to be government employees were expressing how they felt about being declared “essential†or “nonessential.â€
Some government employees, or their spouses, were excited to report that they were “essentialâ€:
For people who appeared to be nonessential federal employees, there was plenty to feel bad about:
But at least one government worker proposed a way that she and her furloughed colleagues could ease the pain of being declared nonessential:
Then again, some observers of government were all too happy to give “nonessential†workers some time off:
