US shutdown shutters nuclear security offices, furloughing 1,400 employees
US Capitol building (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has placed 1,400 employees on unpaid leave due to a government shutdown that has lasted over 20 days, Federal News Network reports.
According to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, the agency sent its federal workers on leave because funding needed to pay salaries has expired.
Around 400 NNSA employees will continue working without pay to ensure the security of the nuclear arsenal and maintain minimum safety levels.
Wright noted that this has never happened before.
“The NNSA, our umbrella organization, it’s been grouped together for 25 years. We’ve never furloughed workers in the NNSA. This should not happen. But this was as long as we could stretch the funding for the federal workers,” the secretary said during a visit to the National Nuclear Security Site in Nevada (Las Vegas) on Monday, October 20.
The Department of Energy’s press office confirmed that nearly 400 NNSA employees will remain at work to protect property and human life. In particular, the Office of Secure Transportation, responsible for moving nuclear materials within the US, is funded through October 27.
Meanwhile, Wright said the Department of Energy, together with the White House Office of Management and Budget, worked to continue payments to some NNSA contractors servicing the agency’s nuclear facilities.
“We were able to do some gymnastics and stretch it further for the contractors,” Wright said.
According to him, about 100,000 contractors work in national laboratories and the nuclear sector overall. He expressed a desire to keep them all employed.
“If the creative extra funding we found, when it runs out, it will be layered at different locations, but tens of thousands of critical workers, their families and our national security, become at risk,” the Energy Secretary warned.
Immense pressure on employees
An NNSA employee, speaking anonymously, told the publication that notices of unpaid leave were sent early Monday morning. Staff came into the office to set up automatic email responses, take out trash, and prepare for an uncertain period away from work.
The employee noted that these furloughs dealt yet another blow to staff morale during a challenging year for the federal workforce.
Earlier this year, NNSA had to urgently recall some personnel after nuclear security staff were unexpectedly dismissed during a purge initiated by the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“The psychological toll on federal employees right now is tremendous,” the source said.
US government shutdown
Since October 1, 2025, the US has been experiencing a partial government shutdown due to the federal budget not being approved on time.
As a result of the suspension of government operations, many daily federal functions have been temporarily halted, Smithsonian museums and other key cultural institutions have been closed, and flight disruptions are occurring at airports.
On Monday, October 20, the shutdown entered its 20th day and appears likely to surpass the 21-day government closure of 1995–1996, making it the second-longest in US history.
The longest shutdown lasted 35 days in 2018–2019. However, the current suspension could become the longest in history.
The US suffers daily losses of $15 billion due to halted production during the shutdown.
The Senate is unable to pass legislation that could end the shutdown.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright blamed Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer and the Democratic Party for the shutdown.
Wright had warned earlier in the month that the Department of Energy would soon have to begin furloughing NNSA employees.
In response, Democratic Senator Ed Markey criticized the move, noting that during the longer 2019 shutdown, NNSA personnel were not placed on furlough.
