Roughly 1,400 employees at the NNSA have been furloughed, leaving fewer than 400 workers to maintain oversight of the country’s nuclear weapons, transport, and maintenance systems, according to reporting from The Daily Beast. The agency, which operates under the Department of Energy, is responsible for safeguarding the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
This is the first time since the NNSA’s creation in 2000 that its workforce has been reduced due to a shutdown, raising concerns among experts about continuity and national security. Energy Department spokespersons have not issued public comment beyond confirming compliance with federal furlough requirements.
The staffing crisis has also rippled across other security-linked agencies, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which faces similar operational slowdowns. Analysts warn that reduced oversight heightens risks to nuclear safety and cyber defense readiness.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Labor announced that it has postponed the release of the Consumer Price Index for October—data originally scheduled for October 15—because of limited staffing. The delay complicates economic forecasting and may hinder the Federal Reserve’s ability to assess whether inflation is cooling from its current level of about 2.9 percent, The Associated Press reported.
“The absence of real-time inflation data could distort markets and delay necessary adjustments,” said economist Diane Swonk in an interview with AP. “It’s a reminder that even short-term shutdowns have long-term ripple effects.”
Economists and policy analysts have noted that delayed data reporting can affect public confidence, bond markets, and consumer behavior, particularly when inflation figures guide both monetary policy and wage negotiations.
The partial shutdown began earlier this month after Congress failed to reach agreement on a budget resolution. While essential government functions remain active, large portions of the federal workforce, including employees at the Department of Energy, Department of Labor, and several regulatory agencies, have been furloughed without pay.
Historically, shutdowns have delayed federal data releases and regulatory functions, but this is among the first to disrupt both nuclear security operations and national economic reporting simultaneously.
As negotiations in Congress continue, agency officials have not specified when normal operations might resume. Until funding is restored, critical safety, economic, and national defense monitoring will remain partially suspended—leaving policymakers and the public in the dark at a pivotal moment.
