For Long Islanders, this U.S. government shutdown carries potentially bigger stakes and far more sweeping impacts than previous federal closures.

Congressional auditors are predicting as many as 750,000 federal employees nationally could be furloughed each day, and agencies have plans outlining significant scaling back or halting of some services. On top of that, President Donald Trump and his lieutenants have threatened that mass firings could occur.

For many of the 31,000 civilian federal workers who live in Suffolk and Nassau counties — and whose duties will be deemed "nonessential" — that translates into taking leave without pay. Others will have to stay on the job without pay, and some others could permanently lose their jobs.

The big question is how long will this closure last? Th

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