WASHINGTON — The Energy Department has designated a significant number of federal employees as “nonessential,” which places them at risk of losing their jobs if another large-scale reduction occurs. According to documents reviewed, over 8,500 positions within the department and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) could be affected. These roles are crucial for maintaining and upgrading the nation’s nuclear arsenal, yet have been classified as potential candidates for elimination in accordance with a directive aiming at mass federal employment reduction.
However, it remains uncertain if all identified positions will be axed. Each federal agency was tasked with identifying roles that could be streamlined or cut by March 13, as part of an initiative to make federal agencies more efficient and prepare them for possible substantial staffing reductions, as per President Trump’s February 26-order.
When queried about possible layoffs, Energy Department spokesperson, Ben Dietderich, indicated that multiple strategies are still under consideration, and no definitive decisions have been reached.
Both Sen. Patty Murray from Washington and Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio expressed concern over potential staffing cuts, suggesting that such actions might increase energy costs for households and businesses, curtail innovation, and compromise national and global security.
In a joint statement, the two Democrats stressed the importance of retaining the experts responsible for ensuring a secure and reliable nuclear weapons arsenal. They strongly advised against making cuts they consider dangerous.
The department, encompassing around 17,500 federal positions, deals with tasks beyond nuclear armaments, such as operating hydroelectric dams, cleaning radioactive waste sites, modernizing the power grid, and providing home weatherization grants. The report details that only 9,004 roles have been deemed essential.
The majority of roles within the NNSA have been designated as essential, and operations at national laboratories under the Energy Department, mostly managed by contractors, are expected to remain unaffected.
In a recaptured move by the administration in February, hundreds of NNSA employees previously laid off by the Government Efficiency Department were reinstated once their critical role in nuclear weapons management was realized.
Approximately 3,000 Energy Department employees work directly for the NNSA, which oversees national security facilities holding nuclear materials and maintaining the armament inventory. There is documentation of around 500 roles at the agency and 8,000 jobs department-wide being marked as nonessential. Some reduction measures have already been applied through deferred resignations.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright mentioned attempts to scale back the department after its expansion during the last four years under the Biden administration, admitting that laying off NNSA workers earlier this year was an error.
Unlike other agencies, where cuts have hit employment hard in the national capital, many Energy Department employees work in various energy sectors across the nation. Previous job cuts aimed at probationary workers were nullified by a federal court.