James Clapper: Furlough of Workers at Spy Agencies Creating "Extremely Damaging" Situation

Non-essential with a but?

U.S. intelligence agencies furloughed about 70 percent of their workers, creating an "extremely damaging" situation that will get worse if the government shutdown continues, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told lawmakers.

"This seriously damages our ability to protect the safety and security of this nation and its citizens," Clapper told the Senate Judiciary Committee during a hearing today when asked how the shutdown is affecting intelligence operations.