The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has furloughed roughly 1,400 employees, or about 80% of its workforce, as the U.S. government shutdown enters its third week.
The remaining staff at the NNSA, approximately 375 employees, are tasked with maintaining essential safety operations, including securing nuclear materials and ensuring reactor safety, according to Politico.
These staff were already declared exempt from the government shutdown, which has now entered its 21st day since being shut down on October 1.
Energy Department spokesperson Ben Dietderich said the agency remains committed to nuclear safety but acknowledged the unprecedented nature of the furloughs.
“Since its creation in 2000, NNSA has never before furloughed federal workers during funding lapses,” he explained, per CNN.
“We are left with no choice this time. We’ve extended funding as long as we could.”
One source close to the situation explained that even minimal contractor work, such as building weapons components or conducting stockpile surveillance, could also quickly come to an end.
“Whatever minimal work contractors are able to continue to do as far as building weapons, enriching special nuclear material, stockpile surveillance, that will stop when the contractors run out of money,” said the source to CNN.
“The earliest we could see that happen is around October 28.”
The same source outlined the risks of pausing nuclear operations mid-process.
“The nuclear stockpile today is reliable and can accomplish what it’s designed to do,” they said to CNN.
“But if we can’t continue our modernization, refurbishing, doing surveillance, then it’s the reliability of the stockpile that’s affected, and it’s going to take some time to play catch up on all of that work.”
Congress has already voted 11 times to advance a funding bill, with the most recent vote occurring on October 20, 2025, but none have passed at this time, leaving the government without full appropriations.
White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers criticized Democrats for the ongoing shutdown, saying the furloughs at the NNSA are proof that the government must return to action.
“The Democrat shutdown is now jeopardizing our national security,” Rogers said, per The New York Post.
“By refusing to pass the clean, bipartisan funding extension, the Democrats are causing funds to run out for critical programs, resulting in furloughs of personnel at the National Nuclear Security Administration who manage our nuclear stockpile.”
The NNSA is not the only major federal department to undergo furloughs.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the Internal Revenue Service recently announced that roughly half of its workforce was placed on furlough due to the government shutdown, with officials believing that these furloughs could disrupt tax services.
Currently, there is no exact timeline for when the government shutdown could officially end, but there is another vote for a continuing resolution expected to take place at some point today.