The federal agency tasked with safeguarding the nation’s nuclear stockpile will see the vast majority of its staff furloughed Monday as the government shutdown continues to affect funding, the Department of Energy said.
The National Nuclear Security Administration, which employs roughly 1,800 workers, will furlough about 1,400 people – leaving 375 staffers on the job, an Energy Department spokesperson told CNN.
The agency, which ensures the U.S. maintains a safe and reliable nuclear stockpile as well as modernizes nuclear weaponry, has never furloughed employees during any previous government shutdown.
“We are left with no choice this time,” Ben Dietderich, a spokesperson for the Energy Department, said. “We’ve extended funding as long as we could.”
The Independent has asked the Department of Energy for comment.
The department said the agency’s Office of Secure Transportation, which is responsible for safely moving nuclear materials, would run out of funding October 27.
Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is expected to speak about the government shutdown’s impact on workforce retention while visiting the Nevada National Security Site Monday.
Members of Congress were informed of the agency’s furloughs last week. During the House Republicans’ press conference, Representative Mike Rogers, chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said they were informed the “carry-over funding” was running out.
“These are not employees that you want to go home,” Rogers said. “They are managing and handling a very important strategic asset for us. They need to be at work and being paid.”
The furloughs will first impact the sites where nuclear weapons are assembled via large teams, such as the Pantex Plant located in Texas and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee, a source familiar with the situation told CNN.
The agency employs nearly 100,000 contractors and subcontractors – the agency said it plans to review contractors’ plans to place facilities in “minimum safe” state in it’s notice to Congress, obtained by CBS News.
“Minimum safe” plans ensure that only necessary functions related to safety of life or protection of property continue.
Wright told Bloomberg News that the U.S. nuclear stockpile will remain secure and ready but that efforts to modernize nuclear weaponry and facilities would be impacted. The energy secretary went on to blame Democrats for the shutdown.
The National Nuclear Security Administration is the latest government agency to be hit with furloughs amid the shutdown. Employees within the agency will return to work when the government reopens.
President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers have been putting pressure on Democrats to comply with the GOP’s temporary funding bill that would allow the government to remain working through the end of the year.
Pressure tactics include revoking funding from Democratic-led cities or states that voted for former Vice President Kamala Harris in 2024, and attempting to fire thousands of federal employees working on polices which Trump associates with Democrats.
