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Which federal agencies had the largest number of furloughed workers during the 2019 shutdown?
Executive Summary
The analyses provided converge on a clear finding: the agencies most affected by furloughs during the 2018–2019 federal government shutdown included the Department of Homeland Security, the National Park Service, the Department of Commerce, NASA, and the Internal Revenue Service, with high percentages or large absolute numbers of workers furloughed reported in secondary summaries. The strongest single compiled claim cites very high furlough rates — often exceeding 80% — in several agencies and tens of thousands of IRS employees furloughed [1] [2]. This summary draws only on the supplied analyses and highlights both numerical claims and the data limitations flagged across sources.
1. What the claims say about who bore the brunt — stark headline numbers and agency names
The clearest, most specific claim in the analyses identifies the Department of Homeland Security, the National Park Service, the Department of Commerce, NASA, and the IRS as among the agencies with the largest shares or numbers of furloughed employees during the 2018–2019 shutdown. One consolidated list reports that DHS saw up to 88% of employees furloughed, the National Park Service over 80%, Commerce 86%, and NASA 96%, while the IRS is reported in absolute terms as having about 52,000 staff furloughed [1]. A separate analysis reinforces that IRS and aviation-related agencies recalled tens of thousands of workers across the 35-day shutdown, stressing the scale of workforce disruption [2]. These repeated mentions make the five agencies the focal point of claims about who was most affected.
2. Where these numbers come from and how recent the sourcing is
The most detailed set of percentages appears in a compiled list dated June 27, 2025, which aggregates agency-level furlough rates and counts [1]. A later October 6, 2025, piece reiterates that IRS, FAA and other operational agencies experienced large recalls or furloughs during the 35-day shutdown and positions those impacts as among the most consequential workforce effects [2]. Other supplied analyses either lack specifics or focus on different shutdowns, and several guidance-style sources explicitly do not contain 2019-specific counts [3] [4]. The strongest numerical claims are therefore anchored to the June 2025 compilation and are buttressed by an October 2025 account, but multiple analyses note missing or generalized data elsewhere [1] [2] [5].
3. Inconsistencies, omissions, and why the figures vary
The supplied materials show significant variation in reporting style and completeness: some sources present percentage shares of agency workforces furloughed, others give absolute counts, and several sources explicitly state they do not include 2019-specific agency tallies [3] [4]. That inconsistency complicates direct ranking: a high percentage furloughed in a small agency can mean fewer total employees affected than a lower percentage in a much larger agency. The June 2025 list supplies high percentages for several agencies but does not uniformly provide both percentages and absolute counts for every agency, leaving room for different interpretations about which agencies “had the largest number” depending on whether one prioritizes headcount or share [1].
4. Competing framings and potential agendas in how the data are presented
The analyses come from compilations and summaries produced after subsequent shutdown debates; timing and sourcing choices can shape narrative emphasis. The June 2025 compilation highlights dramatic percentage furloughs that underscore operational paralysis in agencies like NASA and the National Park Service [1]. The October 2025 article stresses the recall of tens of thousands in operational agencies like the IRS and FAA, framing impacts in absolute workforce disruption terms [2]. Guidance documents and general shutdown explainers included in the pool explicitly avoid naming 2019 tallies [4], which may reflect institutional caution or a focus on procedural guidance rather than retrospective accounting. These differences suggest both editorial priorities and data-availability constraints shape claims.
5. What remains unsettled and the prudent reading of the supplied evidence
The supplied analyses establish a consistent shortlist of heavily affected agencies but leave unresolved whether rankings should be by percentage furloughed or by absolute numbers furloughed. The June 2025 compilation presents the most direct percentage-based ranking [1], while the October 2025 account confirms substantial absolute recalls for IRS and aviation-related functions [2]. Several guidance and background sources in the set do not provide 2019 agency-level counts and therefore cannot corroborate the numerical specifics [3] [4] [5]. The prudent reading is that DHS, NPS, Commerce, NASA and IRS were among the agencies most heavily impacted, with precise ordering depending on whether one counts headcount or percent furloughed [1] [2].
Bottom line: a measured conclusion from the supplied analyses
Based on the supplied analyses, the best-supported conclusion is that the Department of Homeland Security, National Park Service, Department of Commerce, NASA, and the Internal Revenue Service experienced the largest furlough impacts during the 2018–2019 shutdown, with very high furlough rates reported for several agencies and large absolute numbers for others; however, differences in reporting metrics mean that exact rankings vary across accounts [1] [2]. Several supplied sources do not provide 2019-specific figures, so any definitive ranked list requires combining percentage and headcount data from primary agency reports or contemporaneous OPM tallies not included in the provided analyses [4] [5].