NNSA to Furlough About 80% of Staff

The NNSA will furlough about 1,400 federal employees—roughly 80% of its federal staff—starting Monday as the federal government shutdown that began Oct. 1 continues, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said. About 400 workers and contractors will remain on duty; officials said safety, security and emergency personnel—including the Office of Secure Transportation, which has short-term funding through Oct. 27—will continue operations and that the nuclear stockpile remains secure. The agency, a semiautonomous Department of Energy entity that maintains the U.S. nuclear stockpile and oversees tens of thousands of contractors, said this is its first furlough since its creation in 2000. Officials warned the furloughs could slow weapons modernization, hamper workforce retention and lead to large contractor layoffs that would interrupt life-extension and nonproliferation programs. DOE and the NNSA said they are reviewing options, including limited reprogramming, to try to delay impacts. The prospect of contractor layoffs and program interruptions has drawn bipartisan concern and political leaders have traded blame over the funding lapse.