CacheCoyote
Well-known member
US Government Edges Closer to Record-Long Shutdown as Senate Fails to Pass Funding Bill for 11th Time
The prolonged government shutdown is nearing its three-week mark, with energy officials warning that a critical shortage of funds threatens the country's nuclear security. According to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, nearly 1,400 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration have been furloughed across the nation, marking the agency's first time in its 25-year history facing such a crisis.
While some mission-critical personnel remain on duty, Wright emphasized that this shortage poses significant risks to national security. The energy secretary acknowledged that losing these critical workers would not only impact families but also jeopardize the country's nuclear stockpile. In contrast, contractors tied to NNSA operations are not entitled to back pay if they lose their employment.
Wright expressed urgency in reopening the government, citing a House-passed measure that aims to fund the government until November 21. The energy secretary highlighted the importance of maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile and called on Congress to act swiftly. He also expressed gratitude to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, who has crossed party lines to support the funding bill, suggesting that her colleague, Jacky Rosen, may soon follow suit.
As the shutdown nears its three-week mark, contractors in Nevada could face layoffs if the shutdown extends beyond this month. Roughly 2,200 of the state's 3,000 contractors, who are tied to NNSA operations and rely on funds passed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, may lose their jobs unless the government is reopened.
The shutdown has left many officials and lawmakers scrambling to find solutions, with Wright pleading for swift action. "We need to open the federal government as quickly as we can," he said. "We want to keep all the families employed, and we want to keep on top of the critical work to maintain our existing nuclear stockpile and push forward our efforts to modernize and advance that."
The prolonged government shutdown is nearing its three-week mark, with energy officials warning that a critical shortage of funds threatens the country's nuclear security. According to Energy Secretary Chris Wright, nearly 1,400 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration have been furloughed across the nation, marking the agency's first time in its 25-year history facing such a crisis.
While some mission-critical personnel remain on duty, Wright emphasized that this shortage poses significant risks to national security. The energy secretary acknowledged that losing these critical workers would not only impact families but also jeopardize the country's nuclear stockpile. In contrast, contractors tied to NNSA operations are not entitled to back pay if they lose their employment.
Wright expressed urgency in reopening the government, citing a House-passed measure that aims to fund the government until November 21. The energy secretary highlighted the importance of maintaining the nation's nuclear stockpile and called on Congress to act swiftly. He also expressed gratitude to Senator Catherine Cortez Masto, who has crossed party lines to support the funding bill, suggesting that her colleague, Jacky Rosen, may soon follow suit.
As the shutdown nears its three-week mark, contractors in Nevada could face layoffs if the shutdown extends beyond this month. Roughly 2,200 of the state's 3,000 contractors, who are tied to NNSA operations and rely on funds passed through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, may lose their jobs unless the government is reopened.
The shutdown has left many officials and lawmakers scrambling to find solutions, with Wright pleading for swift action. "We need to open the federal government as quickly as we can," he said. "We want to keep all the families employed, and we want to keep on top of the critical work to maintain our existing nuclear stockpile and push forward our efforts to modernize and advance that."
. On one hand, I feel bad for those contractors who could lose their jobs - like, what if they're the only breadwinner in their family? 
But at the same time... I don't know, man, can't Congress just get its act together already? 
They've been trying to pass a funding bill for, like, forever! 
And now we're facing this nuclear security crisis? It's like, come on guys, prioritize something for once! 
Don't even get me started on the whole back pay thing... like, is that really fair to contractors? 
contractors in nevada might lose their jobs too... 2200 ppl affected? that's a lot. energy sec wright is callin out congress to act fast, but i'm not seein much progress 
i hope they can get this sorted out soon before it's like, 4 weeks or more and stuff gets really bad 
energy secretary chris wright seems super serious about this, and i think he's right, losing these workers would be a huge risk to our nuclear safety. contractors in nevada are already feeling the pinch, and if the shutdown extends, it could get really ugly... 
we need some bipartisan love here ASAP! 
what even is that?! energy sec Chris Wright is low-key freaking out cuz 1,400 employees are furloughed & contractors might lose their jobs 
Sen Cortez Masto is a real hero tho, crossing party lines to support it 
. we need some sorta magic solution ASAP or else things are gonna get really messy 
It's so unfair. Back in my day, we didn't have all these fancy government agencies with critical jobs... I guess that's progress or something 
. My kid's school counselor has to worry about funding every year, but now it's affecting entire families who are literally losing their jobs because of the government shutdown 
. What's wrong with Congress? Can't they just work together for once? 
It's been three weeks already and we're still stuck in limbo. Meanwhile, our energy officials are over here scrambling to keep the nuclear stockpile from running dry. Like what's next? 
and those contractors in nevada are already feeling the heat 
and I don't get why congress can't just agree on a funding bill already 
. i mean, who loses their job cuz the government cant pay them? like wright said those ppl rnt just some regular emp's but ppl whos lives depend on nuke secuirty 
. and dont even get me started on contractors - 2200 ppl in nevada rnt getting paid 
. can we pls just have a funding bill already?!?! 
I'm getting so worried about these dedicated employees who are furloughed without pay 
The fact that they're still on the job but others aren't is kinda crazy 
. I mean, nearly 1,400 employees furloughed? that's a huge chunk of people, especially when you consider families and loved ones affected by this shutdown 
. let's get this government funding sorted ASAP so we can move forward without any major setbacks 
.
! The energy secretary is right – we need to open the federal government quickly and keep all those families employed 
because if we don't get this sorted out soon, the whole country's going to be feeling the strain.
And I don't know... shouldn't we be worried about the nuclear security stuff more? Like, shouldn't it be our top priority or something?