A stunning 72-page document from The FBI Agents Association (FBIAA) is raising a red flag about the government shutdown and the damage it’s doing to America’s premiere law enforcement agency. The report points out:

“As FBI Special Agents, we dedicate our lives to protecting our country from criminals and terrorists who threaten our safety, economy, and way of life. We are honored to serve and protect the public. However, the ongoing government shutdown undermines our ability to perform these duties and fund necessary operations and investigations.”

FBI Special Agents are currently working without pay and several FBI duties are being hampered by the shutdown. Here are some of the important areas have gone by the wayside over the last 32 days:

  • Crimes Against Children and Sex Trafficking
  • Drug and Gang Crime
  • Counter Intelligence and Counter-Terrorism
  • Cybersecurity
  • Healthcare and Securities Fraud
  • Assistance with State and Local Work
  • Issuing of Subpoenas
  • Recruitment and Retention

And here are some anonymous comments from FBI members:

“I have been an agent for nearly 24 years and for the last 11 years, my wife of 28 years has battled terminal cancer…[and] these expenses hit hardest in the first months of the calendar year…and so for the first time in my career we have had to ask for assistance from friends and family to make ends meet. I am proud to be an Agent, proud to serve my country, and willing to sacrifice my life in defense of the people and the Constitution, but to have my family placed in the financial situation we are currently facing due to partisan politics is disgusting to me as a government employee and a citizen.”

“I’ve always prided myself on being able to pay my bills on-time and in-full. The fact that I can no longer do that is humiliating and degrading. The crazy thing is that I’m still working as hard as I ever have in my job as an FBI agent.… Like many of my fellow agents, I took a sizable pay cut to come to serve my country as an FBI special agent. I accepted this position because I wanted to serve the cause of justice instead of clients. The idea that I’d be forced to work without a paycheck or the ability to provide to my family was unthinkable to me when I made that decision to work here.”

“My wife and I are both FBI employees who were recently transferred to a new city and finally bought our first home. Now we can’t pay the mortgage for it. We contacted our lender, and they are refusing to work with us. They don’t want our ‘Hardship Letter‘ , they want money, period. My wife and I both have a combined 30 years of service with our Country.”