In a historic first, the U.S. National Nuclear Security Administration will furlough most of its staff Monday as the federal government shutdown enters its third week.
About 1,400 workers will be sent home, leaving fewer than 400 to safeguard the U.S. nuclear stockpile. The agency has never furloughed workers since its creation in 2000. Energy Secretary Chris Wright blamed Democrats like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer for the furloughs.
"This morning, America's nuclear security administration has begun furloughing federal employees due to the Schumer shutdown," Wright said in a statement. "I'm in Nevada today to meet with some of these critical workers and to ask Nevada's leaders to help us end this shutdown."
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The announcement comes as both sides of the political aisle remain entrenched in their positions, with the primary sticking point being health care policy.
Republicans want to reopen the government first and debate health care later, while Democrats are demanding concessions regarding expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies. Democrats argue that without action, millions of Americans will face higher insurance premiums in the coming months.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson has warned this could become the longest government shutdown in American history, surpassing previous records as negotiations between Republicans and Democrats remain at an impasse.
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"We're barreling toward one of the longest shutdowns in American history, unless Democrats drop their partisan demands and pass a clean, no-strings-attached budget to reopen the government and pay our federal workers," Johnson said during a press conference last week.
The current shutdown has already exceeded the historical average of eight days for government shutdowns dating back to the late 1970s. The longest shutdown on record lasted 35 days during 2018-2019, resulting in $11 billion in lost economic productivity according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
