WASHINGTON — The first government shutdown in nearly seven years left federal agencies in flux and many of their employees in a state of confusion Wednesday, as they received last-minute and conflicting instructions from managers.

Even though the likelihood of a shutdown has been high for months, agencies were late to post their contingency plans compared with previous years, leaving employees and the public in the dark about what to expect. And internal guidance to workforces in some cases was not consistent with the official plans. Some employees who expected to be furloughed learned Wednesday that they had to report to work.

Other WRAL Top Stories

But despite the uncertainty inside the government, the initial ripple effects across the country were scattered and limited.

There was no

See Full Page