US nuclear weapons agency faces mass furloughs amid shutdown

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
16 Oct 2025 22:37

Energy Secretary Chris Wright warns that the government shutdown could halt efforts to modernize America’s nuclear arsenal as funding for key workers runs out.

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Energy Secretary Chris Wright listens as President Donald Trump meets with Argentina's President Javier Milei in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025, in Washington (AP)

The United States could soon be forced to furlough workers at the federal agency responsible for maintaining and designing the nation’s nuclear arsenal if the ongoing government shutdown persists, Energy Secretary Chris Wright has warned.

“Starting tomorrow, Monday at the latest, we are not going to be able to pay those workers,” Wright said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. “If that continues on for long, they may get other jobs. They’re going to stop their efforts to modernize our nuclear weapons, to guarantee the sovereignty of our country, something we shouldn’t mess around with.”

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), a semi-autonomous arm of the Energy Department, oversees the production and dismantling of nuclear weapons, provides the Navy with nuclear reactors for submarines, and responds to radiological emergencies. The agency also plays a crucial role in counterterrorism, including transporting nuclear weapons across the country and responding to incidents globally.

Wright said approximately 100,000 contract workers could be furloughed, many without entitlement to back pay. An Energy Department spokesperson said furloughs would be implemented in stages.

“We will be forced to do that if this shutdown continues,” Wright added, noting that the move could slow efforts to modernize the US nuclear stockpile. “I desperately do not want to do that, but I have to follow the law.”

Some federal law enforcement to continue receiving pay

While hundreds of thousands of federal employees face unpaid leave, some law enforcement personnel, including Border Patrol agents and customs officers, will continue to receive pay during the shutdown, according to internal correspondence obtained by Reuters.

President Donald Trump’s administration had previously indicated that military personnel and FBI agents would be paid despite the shutdown, which began on 1 October. The funding source for customs officers’ pay remains unclear.

CBP and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Internal emails show that some employees were reclassified as “exempt,” allowing them to receive paychecks despite the agency’s official shutdown plan stating they would not be paid while required to work.

“The following positions have been declared exempt: Air and Marine Agents, Border Patrol Agents and CBP Officers, as determined by management,” CBP officials wrote to union representatives. The National Treasury Employees Union confirmed that customs officers will begin receiving pay.

Separately, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) notified federal air marshals that they would also continue to be paid for work during the shutdown, according to internal agency emails.