US Government Shutdown Enters Third Week, Federal Employees Queue Up for Food Assistance

According to comprehensive media reports, the United States currently possesses over 5,000 nuclear warheads, more than a thousand of which are in a deployed status. The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) is responsible for the design, manufacture, use, and protection of nuclear warheads and oversees contractor activities related to maintaining and testing nuclear weapons.

A source indicated that the forced furlough of a large number of NNSA employees will primarily affect nuclear weapons assembly facilities such as the Pantex Plant in Texas and the Y-12 Plant in Tennessee. These facilities will enter a "safe shutdown mode" due to staff shortages.

Another source stated that contractors will "continue minimal work until their own funds are exhausted," while daily supervision and approvals related to these contractors will be suspended because the NNSA personnel responsible for these tasks have been furloughed.

This source warned that although the US "nuclear stockpile remains reliable at present," its reliability would be affected if the current situation persists. Once contractor funds are depleted, "nuclear weapons manufacturing, special nuclear material enrichment, and monitoring of the nuclear stockpile will cease," and "this could happen as early as around October 28th," at which point the delivery of nuclear weapons to the military would be impossible.

Furthermore, "if the dismantlement or manufacturing of nuclear weapons is halted midway," resuming the work "takes time and is not as simple as turning a light on and off."

The US federal court system is also impacted by the shutdown, with civil litigation involving federal agencies generally experiencing delays. Citing an internal memo issued by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts on the 16th, Reuters reported that some of the 33,000 staff within the federal court system 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." While courts will remain open and operational, and judges will continue to receive salaries, personnel in positions such as federal public defenders will not be paid.