Federal agency overseeing US nuclear stockpile will furlough most of workforce
20 hours ago
- #NNSA
- #nuclear security
- #government shutdown
- The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) will furlough about 1,400 employees due to the government shutdown, with fewer than 400 remaining to safeguard the nuclear stockpile.
- The NNSA Office of Secure Transportation, responsible for nuclear weapons transport, will remain funded until October 27.
- Furloughs will first impact nuclear weapon assembly sites like Pantex in Texas and Y-12 in Tennessee, forcing them into safe shutdown mode.
- Contractors will perform minimal work until funds run out, but federal oversight will halt due to furloughed staff.
- If the shutdown continues, contractors may run out of money by October 28, stopping weapon production and surveillance.
- Security staff guarding nuclear facilities will remain on duty, but modernization efforts will stall.
- The Department of Defense's push for timely production of modernized weapons could face significant delays.
- The longer the shutdown lasts, the more severe the impact on workforce retention and national security efforts.
- Agency employees express frustration over Congress's inability to resolve the funding issue, given the high stakes.