US govt. shutdown unlikely to affect NSA 'snoop-ops'

The US federal government will remain shut down till the Congress agrees upon a new budget, however, that is unlikely to hamper the National Security Agency's 'snoop-ops'.

According to a government official, the shutdown would be unlikely to affect core NSA operations.

The government shutdown would affect bureaucrats, park rangers and countless other government employees and contractors across the country, and even three-quarters of the White House staff would be sent home, Fox News reports.

Despite the shutdown, 'essential personnel' and services would stay online, including the NSA's surveillance operations.

The report said that the Defense Department released its plans for dealing with a potential shutdown and listed essential duties of the department not to be affected by the shutdown.