US nuclear agency facing immediate shutdown without congressional action

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright has issued a stark warning that the agency overseeing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile is on the brink of running out of funding, with only about eight days of full operations remaining due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to POLITICO.

Speaking on Fox News on October 3, Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) — a key agency within the Department of Energy (DOE) — will be forced to implement emergency shutdown procedures if Congress fails to approve new funding soon.

“Eight more days of funding, and then we have to go into some emergency shutdown procedures, putting our country at risk,” Wright said, underscoring the national security implications.

The NNSA is responsible for maintaining the U.S. nuclear arsenal, preventing nuclear weapons proliferation, and supporting the U.S. Navy’s nuclear propulsion program. Before federal budget cuts earlier this year, the agency employed over 65,000 federal workers and contractors nationwide.

Although the DOE’s recently updated shutdown contingency plan indicates that critical staff would remain on duty — including those involved in maintaining control systems and nonproliferation work — it did not specify how many employees would be retained.

During the 35-day government shutdown under former President Donald Trump’s administration, the NNSA’s operations were largely unaffected, but current funding levels appear insufficient for a similar buffer.

Wright reiterated his concerns during an interview on CNN, warning that once the money runs out, the agency will have to operate with a skeleton crew.

“We’d have to go into emergency shutdown mode with a minimal number of personnel to ensure weapons safety,” he said. “It’s highly disruptive, and restarting those operations would take time.”

This shutdown marks the second major strain on the NNSA this year. Earlier, staffing cuts made under Elon Musk’s DOGE initiative forced the DOE to rehire some employees who had been terminated. Sources indicated that some DOGE appointees were unaware of the NNSA’s critical national security responsibilities, exacerbating the impact of the earlier reductions.

While DOE officials have not provided further details, one NNSA staffer told POLITICO’s E&E News that, in previous shutdowns, the agency typically had enough reserve funding to function for one to two months. “This time, I think we have funds to last a week,” the employee said.

Wright placed blame on congressional Democrats, accusing Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of obstructing efforts to pass a clean funding resolution.

“Chuck Schumer is worried about his left flank and is willing to put at risk American jobs and our nuclear security to protect his political standing,” Wright claimed.

In response, Schumer accused former President Trump of politicising the shutdown, citing a wave of project cancellations at the DOE as fallout from the funding crisis.

According to the DOE’s shutdown plan, around 60 per cent of its workforce could be furloughed if no deal is reached. Approximately 1,575 employees would remain on duty to safeguard essential functions — including nuclear weapons maintenance, nonproliferation efforts, and the U.S. Navy’s reactor program.

The plan notes that within NNSA’s weapons programs, only personnel essential to managing nuclear materials and maintaining unique equipment would continue working during a shutdown. All other activities would be suspended until funding is restored.

Compounding the issue is a sharp reduction in DOE staff earlier this year, when the Trump administration offered voluntary resignation packages. More than 3,000 employees reportedly accepted the program, further straining agency capacity during the current crisis.

By Tamilla Hasanova