الإغلاق الحكومي يسرح آلاف الموظفين المشرفين على «الأسلحة النووية»

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright revealed that the National Nuclear Security Administration will impose "mandatory furloughs" on its employees due to the government shutdown, while emergency personnel will continue to work to ensure the safety of the nuclear arsenal.
Wright stated in comments reported by the "USA Today" newspaper: "Starting Monday, we will have to lay off tens of thousands of workers; these are essential employees for our national security," adding that safety, security, and emergency personnel will continue to work to keep the current arsenal intact and secure.
A spokesperson for the department reported that about 400 workers will remain at the National Nuclear Security Administration, a semi-independent branch of the Department of Energy, which also operates worldwide to secure hazardous nuclear materials, including in Ukraine.
The Department of Energy announced that Wright will visit the "National Nuclear Security Site" in Nevada on Monday to discuss the impacts of the shutdown on the nuclear weapons arsenal.
Federal employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration oversee about 60,000 contractors who maintain and test weapons at national laboratories and other sites across the United States.
For his part, the executive director of the Arms Control Association, Daryl Kimball, said: "If the Trump administration truly believes that the jobs at the National Nuclear Security Administration are important, and that many of them are essential for the safety and security of nuclear facilities, I am sure it will be able to provide the necessary funds to keep the workers in their jobs; otherwise, it may want to reconsider its position on the federal government shutdown."
Bloomberg reported the Energy Secretary saying yesterday (Friday): "The agency will not lay off emergency service workers," noting that the update of the nuclear weapons program to replace old weapons "may be affected."
It is expected that the costs of operating and modernizing U.S. nuclear forces will rise to $946 billion by 2034, which is 25% higher than the 2023 estimates, according to a report released by the Congressional Budget Office last April.
Nuclear weapons expenditures are divided between the Pentagon and the National Nuclear Security Administration.