The Professional Services Council (PSC), a trade association representing 400 federal contractors, wrote a letter Oct. 28 to Congressional leaders mourning the federal government shutdown, citing its effect on the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) among other agencies.
The letter, obtained by the Exchange Monitor, was addressed to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.). PSC said the lapse in funding would “undermine” national security infrastructure, and NNSA and DOE sites are expected to “exhaust carryover funding within 2-4 weeks,” meaning federal contractors would need to “self-finance” operations costing nearly $10 million per week “for a single site.”
“Contractors manage the U.S. government’s nuclear complex, including cleanup of the Cold War legacy and modernization of the nuclear deterrent,” the letter said. “As staffing reductions take effect, activities essential to nuclear safety and deterrent modernization may be halted, placing security and environmental safety at risk.”
Last week, 1,400 NNSA employees were furloughed, encompassing 80% of the workforce at the agency in charge of managing the nation’s nuclear weapons complex. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright said at a press conference that while federal employees were furloughed, DOE was able to find funding “to keep our contractors employed, at least to the end of the month.” However, when that funding runs out, “tens of thousands of critical workers” are at risk in the nuclear franchise.
“We therefore urge Congress to act swiftly to reopen the federal government and ensure continuity of funding for defense and national security programs,” the PSC letter concluded.
Earlier this week the American Federation of Government Employees issued a statement saying it was past time to end the federal shutdown.