Shutdown Cuts Into Kansas Guard’s Readiness

The Kansas adjutant general says that each day the federal government remains partially shut down, the Kansas National Guard loses some of its readiness.

Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli says that every day the shutdown goes on “we lose a little bit of readiness.”

Congress hasn’t approved a budget for this fiscal year, prompting a partial shutdown of federal services.

Tafanelli says that as of Thursday, 268 Kansas National Guard employees were furloughed, representing about 13 percent of the Guard’s 2,100 employees statewide.

He says the Guard already has had to cancel its October drill. He says such weekend drills are critical because guardsmen who work day jobs get only one training session per month.

Associated Press information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal