The US agency in charge of nuclear weapons is putting most of its workforce on unpaid leave, a top Republican lawmaker warned Friday, as a prolonged government shutdown bit further into already crippled public services.

With the standoff in Congress over federal spending in its 17th day and no breakthrough in sight, House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told reporters the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) was about to run out of money.

"They will have to lay off 80 percent of their employees. These are not employees that you want to go home," he told reporters. "They're managing and handling a very important strategic asset for us. They need to be at work and being paid."

Rogers's committee later clarified that the employees would be furloughed -- or placed o

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