The IRS is bringing back over half of its furloughed workforce to process tax refunds while, at the same time, US Courts may shutter most of their civil operations after January 25^th if no additional funds are provided by Congress.  These are just two examples of the shifting sands of federal business during a partial government shut-down.  The person you were speaking with today, may not be their next week.  Re-called workers, though, are unlikely to be available for industry meetings except when they are directly related to immediate, mission critical performance.   Indeed, meetings and travel are among the top agency activities to be curtailed as a result of the partial shut-down.  Agencies like GSA that are operating from fee-based money are even curtailing travel to ensure that funds for core operations are available for as long as possible.  All of this spells increased frustration for contractors.  Planned projects sit idly, invoices pile up, and key opportunities for communication evaporate.  The longer the partial shut-down continues, the longer it will take to unravel when everyone goes back to work, too.  No one can assume that federal business will be “business as usual” with currently closed agencies for some time.