DOT furlough in response to government shutdown will mostly affect FAA with FMCSA unaffected

The Department of Transportation will furlough more than 12,000 employees in response to the government shutdown. 

The government shut down on Wednesday, October 1st, with the announcement from the Department of Transportation coming the same day. 

According to MyNews4, 12,000 DOT employees will be furloughed during the shut down. 93% of those will be from the Federal Aviation Administration. DOT had more than 53,000 employees prior to the shut down. Six of the 11 DOT agencies say they will need half a day to wind down operations. 

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance states that the FMCSA will continue to operate as normal, and issued the following statement: 

“The U.S. Congress has not passed funding legislation for the new fiscal year, beginning today, Oct. 1, and has shut down due to a lapse of appropriations. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) will continue to operate as normal, despite a lapse in annual appropriations. FMCSA is primarily funded by authorized contract authority through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and paid out of the Highway Trust Fund.”