As many as 3,000, or about a third of all military and civilian employees in New Hampshire, could be furloughed or laid off during the federal government shutdown, Employment Security Commissioner George Copadis warned Wednesday.

But U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said the net number of affected employees was more like 1,800. That's because many were working in federal programs that have already received separate congressional approval to spend money past the deadline.

“We’re all in the dark when it comes to what workers could be furloughed and those that could be fired,” said Shaheen, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Likewise, during a conference call, federal Department of Labor officials couldn’t tell their state counterparts precisely how many of these affected, “

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