Vanita Gupta has been the first woman of color to serve as associate attorney general. It's a job with a huge portfolio that ranges from civil rights to immigration to abortion.

The Washington, D.C., region is home to about 400,000 federal employees, plus members of the military and government contractors. In a government shutdown, they face no pay and lots of uncertainty.

A government shutdown is looming but not every federal office will close completely. Some critical services will continue as employees work without pay.

The administration hopes the funding request will become part of an upcoming short-term spending bill aimed at funding the federal government beyond Sept. 30.

While the Census Bureau's set to have its first director who's Latinx, an NPR analysis finds people of color are underrepresented in the top rank of civil servants at the country's main data producer.