Arkansas reports 235 state executive employees furloughed amid federal shutdown

Two weeks into the federal government shutdown, 235 Arkansas executive-branch employees were furloughed during the week ending Oct. 10, down from 249 the week before, according to reporting by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, citing the state Department of Shared Administrative Services.

Department spokesperson Chris Price told the newspaper the revised total includes 167 employees at the Department of Military, 37 at Human Services, 22 at Health, eight at Agriculture and one at the Division of Emergency Management. Most of the affected military employees are federally funded state workers at Camp Robinson and Fort Chaffee, officials said.

Human Services spokesman Gavin Lesnick told the Democrat-Gazette the furloughed workers survey long-term care facilities for federal agencies, while Health Department spokesperson Ashley Whitlow said five employees have returned to work, leaving 17 still fully or partially furloughed.

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders instructed cabinet secretaries to suspend federally funded programs without guaranteed funding unless they protect public health, safety or welfare, the Democrat-Gazette reported.

Outside the executive branch, universities and other state agencies have largely avoided furloughs by shifting employees to nonfederal projects, officials told the newspaper.

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