The United States has begun sending home thousands of employees responsible for maintaining its nuclear arsenal, as the government shutdown entered its fourth week — marking one of the most consequential impacts of the prolonged funding impasse.
According to CNN, the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) — the agency charged with managing and securing the nation’s nuclear stockpile — began issuing furlough notices to about 1,400 federal employees on Monday, leaving just 375 essential staff on duty.
“Since its creation in 2000, NNSA has never before furloughed federal workers during funding lapses,” said Energy Department spokesman Ben Dietderich. “We are left with no choice this time. We’ve extended funding as long as we could.”
The NNSA, which oversees the design, maintenance, and protection of America’s 5,177 nuclear warheads (including around 1,770 deployed weapons), also manages a workforce of roughly 60,000 contractors across multiple high-security facilities.
The furloughs are expected to immediately affect major nuclear assembly plants such as Pantex in Texas and Y-12 in Tennessee, both of which have been placed into “safe shutdown mode.”
Energy Secretary Chris Wright is scheduled to visit the Nevada National Security Site later Monday to assess the impact of the shutdown on the U.S. nuclear deterrent, though the Department of Energy has yet to issue a formal statement.
At 20 days and counting, the shutdown has now become the longest full government closure in U.S. history — and political tensions show no signs of easing.
President Donald Trump has continued to pressure Democrats to support a Republican-backed funding bill to reopen the government, warning of “stronger measures” and deeper service cuts if the stalemate persists.
“Every day that the government is shut down, it is a danger to the American people,” warned House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has refused to reconvene the lower chamber until a funding deal is reached. “Falling behind our adversaries in the nuclear arms race would be a very serious threat to America’s status as the last great superpower.”
The Senate, meanwhile, is expected to vote midweek on a proposal that would authorize temporary pay for military personnel and essential federal workers, though it remains unclear whether the measure has sufficient Democratic support.
Senate Republicans have also floated a compromise offering to renew expiring health care subsidies for 24 million Americans, a key Democratic demand. But Senate Democrats say such efforts are meaningless without approval from Trump and Speaker Johnson.
With federal employees set to miss an entire pay cycle for the first time on Thursday, and concerns mounting over potential disruption to troop pay, economic and political pressures are escalating in Washington.
Analysts say the next major test will come on November 1, when open enrollment for health insurance begins — a critical date that could serve as a turning point in negotiations.
According to Punchbowl News, Senate Democrats view that deadline as an “off-ramp,” arguing that Congress must act before then to prevent skyrocketing premiums and coverage losses that could affect millions of Americans by 2026.
Despite the growing fallout, Trump has shown little sign of relenting, privately telling aides he believes Republicans are “winning the messaging war” and that Democrats will ultimately be forced to concede.
For now, however, the shutdown’s impact has reached a new and alarming frontier — the very core of America’s nuclear security.
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