Chaos Ensues At National Nuclear Security Administration After DOGE Rescinds Firings Of Key Staffers

After rescinding broader layoffs in mid-February, President Donald Trump and adviser Elon Musk have purged 50 workers from the Department of Energy. This agency maintains the country’s nuclear weapons arsenal.

The department sent 325 notices that they had been laid off from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which employs about 2,000 people and works to secure dangerous nuclear materials on a global scale, including in Ukraine, as Russia’s war continues. Later that day, some layoffs were rescinded, causing chaos in NNSA offices as workers were unsure of their employment status.

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The Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas, was one of the hardest-hit locations, experiencing roughly 30% of the cuts. The employees there are responsible for reassembling warheads, a highly sensitive task within the nuclear weapons sector that requires the highest security clearances.

“The president said workers critical to national security would be exempt from the firings. But then there was an active decision to say these positions are not critical to national security,” one unidentified official at the agency told the Washington Post. 

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Earlier reports had uncovered that the staffing cuts at the nuclear agency were part of a broader downsizing initiative by DOGE targeting the Department of Energy, with plans to eliminate up to 2,000 jobs. DOGE claimed the layoffs were limited to nonessential employees in “administrative and clerical roles,” but this statement turned out to be a falsehood. 

According to a report from The Bulwark last month, one of the employees dismissed from his role was James Todd, the acting chief of Defense Nuclear Safety. As a senior executive and the agency’s top expert on nuclear safety, his departure marked a significant loss, among others. 

The move was deemed so reckless that the National Nuclear Security Administration reversed its decision, allowing the impacted employees to return to their positions. 

The White House also backtracked after receiving a “stream of panicked calls” from lawmakers across the political spectrum, urging the swift reinstatement of around 314 nuclear staff members, including engineers, technicians and managers.

However, the process wasn’t as easy as inviting employees back to work. Instead, discouraged and “shell-shocked” NNSA staff are now considering early retirement or exploring opportunities in more stable fields, uncertain about whether the Trump administration might attempt to terminate them once more.