Federal employees are beginning to receive furlough notices this morning, according to a memo to agency officials released yesterday by the Office of Management and Budget, the website Government Executive.com has reported.

Federal employees are beginning to receive furlough notices this morning, according to a memo to agency officials released yesterday by the Office of Management and Budget, the website Government Executive.com has reported. The notification process, urged by OMB to handled electronically through e-mail, is due to be completed before the end of the workday today. “Agencies are also encouraged to immediately reach out to stakeholders, such as federal labor unions, state, local and tribal governments, grantees, contractors and congressional committees to discuss their contingency planning, OMB Director Jacob Lew wrote in the memo.

According to Nextgov.com, furloughed federal employees, including Capital Hill staffers, won’t be able to use government-issued BlackBerrys, laptops or cell phones, as specified in 10 pages of guidance issued today.

A U.S. Department of Agriculture official told the Hagstrom Report today that only food and export-import pest inspections would continue in the event of a shutdown, along with continues Forest Service law enforcement and fire suppression efforts, and nutritional programs for women, infants and children, including food stamps. However, most other USDA functions would not be continued.