Shutdown takes its toll on White House operations
Washington: The partial government shutdown is taking its toll on the White House, where about 3 out of 4 staffers are being kept off-duty. Aides on furlough are barred even from checking the Blackberries they
Washington: The partial government shutdown is taking its toll on the White House, where about 3 out of 4 staffers are being kept off-duty.
Aides on furlough are barred even from checking the Blackberries they usually clutch like worry beads.
Of the 1,701 advisers, assistants, number-crunchers, butlers, chefs and landscapers at the White House normally, fewer than 450 are working. That's because the rest fall under the unfortunate category of "non-essential.''
Obama's aides have strived to maintain a sense of normalcy. But the logistical gymnastics of running the federal government's nerve center with a skeletal staff has created a sense of mild disarray.
Even the White House switchboard has been set to roll over to a prerecorded message. The message says to call back when the government reopens.
Aides on furlough are barred even from checking the Blackberries they usually clutch like worry beads.
Of the 1,701 advisers, assistants, number-crunchers, butlers, chefs and landscapers at the White House normally, fewer than 450 are working. That's because the rest fall under the unfortunate category of "non-essential.''
Obama's aides have strived to maintain a sense of normalcy. But the logistical gymnastics of running the federal government's nerve center with a skeletal staff has created a sense of mild disarray.
Even the White House switchboard has been set to roll over to a prerecorded message. The message says to call back when the government reopens.