WASHINGTON — The administration under Trump has suspended the termination of hundreds of federal employees dedicated to the country’s nuclear weapons initiatives, resulting in widespread confusion among staff and warnings from experts that the aggressive cost-reduction strategy could jeopardize local communities.
Three officials from the United States government revealed that nearly 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were unexpectedly laid off late last Thursday, with some losing email access before being officially notified, only to find themselves locked out of their offices the following day. These officials chose to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation.
Among those significantly affected was the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, which experienced a reduction of about 30% of its workforce. These employees engage in the delicate reassembly of nuclear warheads, a high-clearance role crucial to the stability of the nuclear weapons sector.
The layoffs at NNSA were part of a broader purge within the Department of Energy that aimed to cut around 2,000 jobs. “The personnel from DOGE appear to lack any substantial understanding of the responsibilities of these divisions,” remarked Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association, alluding to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency team. “They don’t grasp that this is fundamentally a nuclear weapons department rather than purely an energy department.”
By late Friday, acting director Teresa Robbins of the NNSA sent out a memo that reversed the dismissal of nearly all but 28 employees who had been let go. The memo stated, “This letter serves as formal notification that the termination decision issued to you on Feb. 13, 2025 has been rescinded, effective immediately,” as confirmed by internal sources.
However, the assertions made by the officials contradict an official reiteration from the Department of Energy, which claimed that fewer than 50 NNSA employees were terminated and characterized them as “probationary employees in mainly administrative and clerical roles.”
Nevertheless, many of the dismissed employees were engaged in vital nuclear management tasks, contributing to projects that included the oversight of extensive radioactive waste sites. These roles are essential to prevent further contamination and mitigate risks to local communities.
Key locations impacted include the Savannah River National Laboratory in South Carolina, the Hanford Nuclear Site in Washington, where personnel are tasked with ensuring the safety of numerous high-level waste tanks, and the Oak Ridge Reservation in Tennessee, known for its contamination challenges stemming from its role in the Manhattan Project, among others.
Political figures such as U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington, both from the Democratic Party, described the firings as “utterly callous and dangerous.”
The NNSA employees who were reinstated have experienced difficulties in communication post-layoff, leading some to question the possibility of returning due to the uncertainty instigated by the DOGE initiative.
A significant number of federal employees who dedicated their careers to the nuclear sector are now facing a wave of retirements, which has already caused a drain of critical institutional knowledge.
Currently, the agency is engaged in a substantial $750 billion modernization project for its nuclear arsenal, which includes developing new land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and modernizing submarine-launched warheads. In response to these initiatives, the labs have engaged in aggressive hiring, with 60% of their workforce being with the agency for five years or fewer as of 2023.
Edwin Lyman, who oversees nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, expressed concern that the layoffs could lead to operational disruptions within the agency, eroding confidence in the nuclear framework both domestically and globally.
“The implications for U.S. adversaries are strikingly clear: disrupt the national security structure and induce chaos,” he cautioned. “Such a situation undeniably benefits the adversaries of this nation.”
