US nuclear agency furloughs 1,400 staff amid shutdown

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has placed 1,400 employees on unpaid leave due to the ongoing government shutdown, which has lasted more than 20 days.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright said the agency was forced to send its federal workers home after funding for payroll ran out, Caliber.Az reports via Federal News Network.

About 400 NNSA employees will continue working without pay to ensure the protection of the nation’s nuclear arsenal and maintain essential safety operations.

“This has never happened before,” Wright noted.

The Department of Energy confirmed that roughly 400 NNSA staff members will remain on duty to safeguard property and protect human life.

The Office of Secure Transportation, which oversees the movement of nuclear materials within the United States, is funded through October 27.

Meanwhile, Wright added that the Department of Energy, together with the White House Office of Management and Budget, is working to maintain payments for some NNSA contractors who support the agency’s nuclear facilities.

The ongoing U.S. government shutdown, which began on October 1, 2025, has already forced about 900,000 federal employees into furlough and left hundreds of thousands more working without pay.

It has now become the longest full government shutdown in U.S. history and the third-longest overall when partial shutdowns are included.

If it continues past October 21, it will surpass the 21-day shutdown of 1995–96 to claim second place, with only the 35-day partial shutdown during Donald Trump’s first term, from December 2018 to January 2019, having lasted longer.

By Jeyhun Aghazada