Washington’s shutdown that began on October 1, 2025 is now punching holes in the most solemn responsibilities of the federal government — the men and women who guard our nuclear deterrent have been furloughed, with roughly 1,400 NNSA federal employees sent home while only a skeleton crew stays behind to maintain safety. That is not abstract politics; it is real people worrying about paychecks and real risks created by Capitol Hill paralysis. Hardworking Americans deserve a government that puts national security ahead of political stunts, not one that lets the lights flicker at our most critical facilities.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright went on Fox’s “The Sunday Briefing” to try to calm nerves, saying the new tests ordered by the White House are system checks and “noncritical” explosions — not nuclear detonations — but his reassurance only underscores how chaos in Washington forces the nation to rely on PR instead of proper funding. The plain truth is this administration is simultaneously announcing bold moves on deterrence and allowing the people who carry out those missions to be furloughed. America should not be in a position where our strategy is a tweet and our execution is hostage to a shutdown.
President Trump’s directive to restart nuclear testing after a decades-long pause has lit a fire under the debate over modernization, and Wright reminded the public that the U.S. can simulate many effects with modern science — the last full-scale U.S. nuclear test was in 1992. That puts the issue into sharp relief: we must keep our arsenal credible in the face of rising threats from Russia and China, but credibility requires steady funding and a workforce that isn’t furloughed into financial ruin. If we expect deterrence, Congress must fund deterrence without delay.
The shutdown is not only about warheads; it’s already delaying civilian energy projects and testing of advanced reactors, including the small modular reactors that could deliver reliable, domestic power on sensible timelines. The Energy Department has had to do budget “gymnastics” to keep some contractors on the job, but “gymnastics” is not a plan — it’s a patch while Washington squabbles. Every week of delay costs jobs, weakens supply chains, and hands leverage back to our geopolitical rivals.
Meanwhile, the nation is staring down a looming surge in electricity demand driven by AI and massive data centers, and the Energy Department has already begun identifying federal sites and pushing partnerships to expand generation capacity — precisely the kind of forward-looking infrastructure work this shutdown is crippling. If we want reliable, affordable power we need commonsense choices: fast-track permitting for real, dispatchable generation like natural gas and nuclear, and sensible grid upgrades so American innovation has a place to plug in. Washington’s failure to keep government running is now a direct attack on American energy leadership.
Patriots who believe in a strong America should be furious: our military posture, our energy independence, and the paychecks of skilled federal workers are being used as bargaining chips. Congress must reopen the government immediately, fund the NNSA, and stop turning national security into political theater — the safety of the American people and the freedom of our children depend on it.
