Furloughs loom at Los Alamos and Sandia national labs

New Mexico Watchdog - Two major national labs based in New Mexico have so far avoided the brunt of the partial government shutdown that, by estimates, has affected 17 percent of the federal budget. But absent a deal on Capitol Hill, it appears as though it will only be a matter of days before workers at the Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque and the Los Alamos National Laboratory are furloughed.

The director and president at Sandia, Paul Hommert, wrote to lab employees Tuesday informing them the facility is preparing for a “safe, secure and orderly shutdown” by the close of business Oct. 21. In the memo, Hommert says the decision comes at the direction of the National Nuclear Security Administration, the federal entity that oversees nuclear security at U.S. government sites across the country, including Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Hommert’s letter does not mention how many of the 9,800 employees at Sandia would be furloughed. As for LANL, no date has been set for potential furloughs of about 10,000 employees, contractors, security personnel, students and post-doctoral candidates. “As of right now, all Los Alamos employees are reporting to work as normal,” LANL spokesman Fred DeSousa told New Mexico Watchdog on Wednesday morning. Read more news...