Forest Service workers in Montana without job roles related to law enforcement, wildfires or timber production are now on furlough while the federal government remains shut down due to a funding impasse in Congress.

That’s according to Sam Forstag, a leader with the labor union representing Forest Service workers at three national forests in Montana.

And it comes on top of mass firings, hiring freezes and pressure to retire early that had already reduced the agency’s workforce by about 30% since President Donald Trump took office in January. The administration has defended those prior moves as cost-cutting measures to reduce the size and scope of the federal government.

A contingency plan from the U.S. Department of Agriculture dated Sept. 30 stated that 12,744 workers, or about 40% o

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