FBI Agents Association shares first-hand accounts of shutdown’s impacts

A group that represents FBI agents is warning that the ongoing partial government shutdown is impacting individual agents and hampering the bureau’s anti-criminal efforts.

The FBI Agents Association released a report Tuesday sharing first-hand accounts of anonymous FBI agents and the impact the shutdown, now in its second month, has had on their work.

One agent quoted in the report says that “the shutdown has eliminated any ability to operate.”

“It’s bad enough to work without pay, but we can only conduct administrative functions,” another agent is quoted saying. “The fear is our enemies know they can run freely.”

{mosads}Agents in the report are unnamed and identified only by the region in which they operate. They are also broken down by operational unit.

The Hill has reached out to the FBI for comment on the report.

The 72-page report, titled “Voices from the Field,” reveals that simple operational needs are not being met, including the ability to buy pre-paid phone cards, book air travel or use official FBI vehicles, among other examples.

One agent testimony stated that the FBI was unable to work with or assist local law enforcement due to the lapse in funding.

“The operational impacts of the shutdown are immeasurable,” an agent working in the Northeast Region stated. “We have postponed the indictment of subjects due to the shutdown.”

The FBI Agents Association asserts that criminal and counterterrorism efforts are undermined by the shutdown.

“As FBI Agents, our commitment to our work is unwavering,” the association’s president, Thomas O’Connor, told Bloomberg in a statement. “Agents are at work without pay to protect the American people. We continue to make the personal and professional sacrifices to do our jobs and protect this country.”

The organization representing thousands of current and former FBI agents has already called on President Trump to end the shutdown.

The partial government shutdown is in its 32nd day, with more than 800,000 federal workers furloughed and many federal employees, including some FBI agents, working without pay.