At day 20, the U.S. government shutdown keeps dragging on—and now it’s starting to hit the nuclear world 🤯. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which designs, builds and secures America’s nuclear warheads, announced on Monday that most of its staff will be on forced leave until Congress reboots the government.
What’s a furlough? It’s a mandatory unpaid leave—like when your fave online game server suddenly goes offline because someone forgot to pay the bill. Except here, employees get sent home with no paycheck until Congress fixes the budget mess. Around 1,400 NNSA federal employees received the pink-slip notice on October 20. About 400 workers will stay on the job to keep key sites safe and protect human life.
Why it matters: The U.S. stockpile holds 5,177 nuclear warheads, with about 1,770 ready for deployment (according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists). The NNSA oversees over 60,000 contractors across sites like Pantex in Texas and Y-12 in Tennessee—both key hubs for assembling these warheads.
This shutdown is now the longest full stoppage in U.S. history. President Trump has been ramping up pressure on Democrats to reopen the government, even warning of deeper service cuts and mass layoffs if talks stall. He said, "So we're hoping the Democrats become much less deranged and that we will get the vote pretty soon. And I hear they're starting to feel that way, too." Meanwhile, Kevin Hassett of the White House National Economic Council told CNBC he expected an end "sometime this week," but he warned of "stronger measures to bring them to the table" if it drags on.
Beyond the political drama, this gridlock shows how a budget battle can ripple into areas we hope never to worry about—like nuclear security. We’ll keep tracking the fallout and what it means for global stability 🌏.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
