09:39
Tieng Anh Vui
Senior US intelligence officials have warned the shutdown of the US government "seriously damages" spy agencies' ability to protect the US.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told a Senate panel that an estimated 70% of intelligence employees had been furloughed.
Mr Clapper said staff morale across the spy agencies had been devastated.
"This is extremely damaging and it will increase," he said.
Foreign spies' 'dreamland'
Mr Clapper appeared before a Senate judiciary committee hearing on Wednesday, warning lawmakers the damage to the US intelligence community caused by a shutdown would be "insidious".
"This is not just a Beltway issue," he said, referring to the Washington DC area. "This affects our global capability to support the military, to support diplomacy, and to support our policymakers."
Mr Clapper also warned that foregoing paying employees during the shutdown could cause them financial hardship, making them inviting targets for foreign spies.
"This is a dreamland for foreign intelligence services," he said.
Gen Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, said the agency had placed thousands of mathematicians and computer scientists on unpaid leave.
"Our nation needs people like this," he said. "And the way we treat them is to tell them, 'you need to go home because we can't afford to pay you, we can't make a deal here.'"
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