The government shutdown has made life difficult for the U.S. Department of Justice.
With just a fraction of the staff working, attorneys said they are overwhelmed by work, ABC News reports.
The shutdown forced so-called nonessential employees to stay home
“What bothers me the most about the entire situation is this whole idea that there are nonessential employees in the U.S. Attorneys office. None of my people are non essential,” U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance told ABC.
The Federal Public Defenders Office continues to operate, but only because it had reserve funds that are about to run out.
“Those funds are becoming depleted and will be depleted shortly. Once those funds are depleted, we will continue to represent the indigent,” Public defender Kevin Butler told ABC. “We will continue to provide quality representation. We simply will not be paid for our services.”
