US nuclear agency NNSA announces mass layoffs as government shutdown continues

The US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) has furloughed around 1,400 employees due to an ongoing government shutdown, leaving fewer than 400 staff to oversee critical nuclear operations. This marks the first furlough in the agency’s history since 2000. According to the BBC, key programmes, including nuclear weapons transport and modernisation, are at risk. The shutdown, now in its 20th day, has impacted over 1.4 million federal workers amid stalled political negotiations.