ST PAUL, Minn. — According to local union leaders, around 18,000 federal employees are currently working in Minnesota.

Those employees work for a wide range of federal agencies, including Social Security, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), Veterans Affairs (VA) and federal prisons, just to name a few.

Ruark Hotopp with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) says it’s still unclear how many federal workers in Minnesota have been deemed essential and how many are receiving furlough notices.

“The terrifying part is the last time the government shut down, it went for 35 days,” Hotopp said.

Unlike previous shutdowns, Hotopp says there are worries among union leaders that even a short shutdown could lead to permanent layoffs.

“This time around, the Office of M

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