U.S. Federal Government Shutdown's Impact Widens; Numerous Employees at Nuclear Security Administration and Courts Forced to Furlough

As the U.S. federal government shutdown entered its 18th day, a significant number of staff at departments including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the federal court system are facing forced, unpaid leave.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright announced via social media on the 17th that, affected by the shutdown, approximately 1,400 federal employees at the NNSA under the Department of Energy, who "play a key role in upgrading the nuclear arsenal," will be forced to take unpaid leave before the 20th. According to an Energy Department spokesperson, nearly 400 NNSA employees will remain on the job.

Based on reports from multiple media outlets, the United States currently possesses over 5,000 nuclear warheads, more than a thousand of which are in a deployed status. The NNSA is responsible for the design, manufacture, use, and protection of nuclear warheads and oversees contractor activities related to maintaining and testing nuclear weapons.

Daryl Kimball, Executive Director of the Arms Control Association, criticized the Trump administration for ignoring the importance of the NNSA and urged it to reconsider its stance on the federal government shutdown issue.

The U.S. federal court system is also impacted by the shutdown, with civil litigation involving federal agencies普遍 experiencing delays. Citing an internal memo released by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on the 16th, Reuters reported that among the 33,000 staff in the federal court system, some will be forced to take unpaid leave starting midnight on the 20th.

According to the memo, some non-essential functions of the federal court system will also be suspended, and the "shutdown activities will be conducted in an orderly manner." As reported by Reuters, courtrooms will remain open and operational, judges will continue to receive salaries, but personnel in positions such as federal public defenders will not receive pay.

The exact number of unpaid furloughs within the federal court system remains unclear. It is reported that the federal court system had been managing with leftover funds since the shutdown began on the 1st of the month but became unsustainable on the 17th. The last time the federal court system was significantly affected by a shutdown was 30 years ago, from late 1995 to early 1996 during the administration of Democratic President Bill Clinton.