Seven hundred Kansas National Guard personnel are being sent home as the impact of the federal government shutdown takes hold.
Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli, adjutant general of the Kansas National Guard, said Tuesday that the furloughs affect about one-third of the Guard's federal employees. The soldiers perform a variety of administrative, maintenance and unit readiness functions.
Many of the employees were furloughed during the summer because of related federal budget issues.
Tafanelli said the government shutdown could also force the cancelation of weekend drills for National Guard units, a decision that will be made in the next day.
The general said ongoing budget problems are likely to have an impact on soldier and unit readiness that will take time to restore, depending on the length of the federal impasse.