Who Exactly Is an Essential Employee?

Philip Elliot : “Amid all these threats, the number of workers who haven’t yet found themselves furloughed is raising eyebrows, according to conversations with federal workers left in a lurch and Hill staffers watching their bosses talk past each other. Some are wondering if more is at play than the essentialness of their work.”

“If someone is furloughed, the thinking goes, they could more easily be seen as extraneous, giving the Administration an easier path to arguing they aren’t needed at all. It’s why some around Washington suspect managers are designating fewer employees for furlough than previous standoffs.”