The federal government shutdown has now hit the Missouri National Guard.

Late Wednesday, the Guard furloughed nearly a thousand of their 1,400 federal technicians considered to be non-essential.  Spokeswoman, Major Tammy Spicer, says the technicians include both civilian and uniformed staff.

"Full-time federal technicians do a variety of jobs across the state, anything from clerical, to mechanical, to aviation related," Spicer said.

Just over 400 federal technicians considered essential remain on duty.  Meanwhile, weekend drills have also been called off.

"October 5th and 6th is traditionally a drill weekend across our state for our Missouri National Guard citizen soldiers and airmen," Spicer said, "but that drill weekend activity has now been suspended until the government returns to normal operations."

Other services will continue, including honor guard duties, suicide prevention and sexual assault response.  Spicer also says the Guard will be able to respond to any natural disaster or emergencies that require Governor Jay Nixon's authorization.

Follow Marshall Griffin on Twitter:  @MarshallGReport

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