US government shutdown threatens layoffs at nuclear weapons agency

• US government shutdown threatens nuclear weapons workforce.
• House Armed Services chairman warns 80 percent of NNSA staff may be laid off.
• NNSA manages the US nuclear stockpile and oversees 60,000 contractors.
• Unclear if layoffs will be temporary furloughs or permanent cuts.

The prolonged federal government shutdown in the United States is threatening to disrupt the operations of the nation’s nuclear weapons program, raising serious national security concerns.

On Friday, Mike Rogers, chairman of the United States House Committee on Armed Services, warned that the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) may be forced to furlough most of its workforce.

“We were just informed last night (that) the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the group that handles and manages our nuclear stockpile, that the carryover funding they've been using is about to run out,” Rogers told reporters. “They will have to lay off 80 percent of their employees.”

The shutdown, now entering another week without resolution, followed the Senate’s tenth failed vote on Thursday to pass a Republican-backed bill to reopen the government.

It remains unclear whether the cuts Rogers referred to would be temporary furloughs or permanent layoffs. “These are not employees that you want to go home,” he said. “They're managing and handling a very important strategic asset for us. They need to be at work and being paid.”

The US nuclear arsenal includes 5,177 warheads, with around 1,770 currently deployed, according to Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. The NNSA oversees its design, production, and security, relying on fewer than 2,000 federal staff to supervise about 60,000 contractors.

Chris Wright, US Secretary of Energy, warned that “starting next week, we're going to have to let go tens of thousands...of workers that are critical to our national security.”

According to USA Today, NNSA employees were informed that furloughs could begin as early as Friday.

Lawmakers left Washington on Thursday after failing to end the shutdown, which began on October 1 when funding expired. If it continues beyond next Tuesday, it will mark 22 days, the second-longest shutdown in US history. The record of 35 days was set during the border wall standoff under Donald Trump.

Democrats have urged Trump to step in, arguing he is the only one who can push Republicans to negotiate. Republican leaders, however, are wary of his direct involvement, fearing he might agree to a deal on health care subsidies that Democrats want.

The White House has signaled that Trump is seeking major cuts to the federal workforce during the shutdown. Russ Vought, the president’s budget chief, said he wants to see “north of 10,000” jobs cut. A federal judge has temporarily blocked these layoffs, calling them politically motivated.

Meanwhile, around 1.4 million federal employees have either been furloughed or are working without pay. Trump intervened earlier this week to ensure military personnel received their paychecks, though uncertainty remains about future payments.

Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune signaled some willingness to negotiate, telling MSNBC, “I've said, if you need a vote, we can guarantee you get a vote by a date certain. At some point Democrats have to take yes for an answer.”