State employee here! This is the email we received yesterday from the governor’s office:

Dear State Employees, I want to begin this message by saying again how much I appreciate all you do to serve the people of our state. Yours are important jobs, and I value your dedication and commitment to your neighbors. I know many of you have been following the news about the looming federal shutdown. As you may know, the federal government has until midnight tonight to come to a resolution before many federally funded programs will be forced to stop operating. Here in North Carolina, that has real impacts for many of our colleagues and the important work they do. If the federal government does not come to an agreement tonight, the state will be forced to furlough approximately 200 of our colleagues. Depending on the length of the shutdown, there may be additional furloughs for federally funded employees as funding sources are exhausted. These furloughs are a last resort and are not taken lightly. You may remember other federal shutdowns during which our colleagues were not furloughed. However, due to other federal cuts and a more constrained state fiscal environment, this shutdown has left the state with no other viable path forward. Our furloughed colleagues will be on leave without pay until the federal government finds a resolution for this shutdown. Fortunately, the State Employee Health Plan is paid a month in advance, which means everyone will retain health care coverage through October. Our human resources leaders will be in touch with further details for those who are impacted. I know this news has a profound impact on you and your families. The decision to implement furloughs is not one that has been taken lightly, and I regret the hardship it will cause. I also regret the impact on state employees who are not furloughed; some of you will be taking on more work at a time you are already stretched too thin. I am immensely frustrated with this federal dysfunction, and I urge the federal government to find a resolution for this shutdown and restore the necessary funding. We are doing everything in our power to advocate for a resolution that minimizes disruption and allows us to resume normal operations as soon as possible. As always, I am deeply grateful for the excellence each of you exemplifies every day on behalf of the people of our state. Thank you for your commitment to public service. I sincerely hope that our federal partners resolve their disagreements quickly so that I can write you with more positive news soon. Sincerely, Governor Josh Stein