US Nuclear Weapons Agency to Begin Furloughs, Energy Chief Warns

The US will be forced to furlough workers at the federal agency responsible for maintaining and designing the nation’s nuclear weapons arsenal as soon as Friday if the government shutdown continues, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said.

“Starting tomorrow, Monday at the latest, we are not going to be able to pay those workers,” Wright said in an interview with Bloomberg Television on Thursday. “If that continues on for long, they may get other jobs. They’re going to stop their efforts to modernize our nuclear weapons, to guarantee the sovereignty of our country, something we shouldn’t mess around with.”