Thousands of civilian employees at Tinker Air Force Base are being furloughed and the national Storm Prediction Center is cutting down on its communication to the public as the federal government faces its first full day of a partial shutdown.
Officials at Tinker Air Force Base say about 2,900 of 14,000 civilian employees have been furloughed until federal funding is resumed. Nearly 700 federal technicians at the Oklahoma National Guard have also been furloughed.
The Storm Prediction Center based in Norman, Okla., says its Facebook page will not be updated as often for the public, though the center is still operational.
The shutdown is the result of a divided Congress in a deadlock over President Barack Obama's health care law. The deadlock stalled a temporary funding bill.