NNSA to send 80% of employees on vacation due to the shutdown in the USA

The National Nuclear Safety Administration (NNSA), the key agency responsible for maintaining and modernizing the U.S. nuclear arsenal, will put about 80% of its civilian staff on unpaid leave amid the government shutdown. This was reported by the Politico newspaper on October 17.

According to the NNSA, about 1,400 employees will be temporarily suspended from work, while about 375 people will continue to perform critical tasks that are not affected by the shutdown. The Department of Energy said it was "considering all options to ensure the continuity of critical national security missions."

"Last night, we were informed that the National Nuclear Safety Administration, the group that manages our nuclear reserves, is about to run out of transitional funding. They will have to send 80% of the staff home, and these are not the employees you want to take their jobs away from. They manage a strategic asset for the country," said Mike Rogers, Chairman of the House of Representatives for the Armed Forces.

Republicans in the House of Representatives are using staff cuts as an argument to pressure Democrats in the Senate to resume government funding. Rogers stressed that civilian employees in the defense industry are still without pay, and as the shutdown drags on, this may affect other national security functions.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed that layoffs of NNSA employees could occur in the coming days, warning that if the shutdown continues, the modernization of the country's nuclear arsenal may be suspended.

To bring into disarray: mass protests await the United States amid the shutdown

Millions of Americans may take to the streets, dissatisfied with the policies of the authorities and the government shutdown.

Earlier, on October 16, it was reported that about 100,000 contractors involved in the modernization and maintenance of the US nuclear arsenal may be left without pay due to the government shutdown. Chris Wright, the head of the Department of Energy, noted that these contractors are not government employees and therefore will not receive salaries starting next Monday if the shutdown drags on.

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