WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration has reversed its decision to terminate hundreds of federal employees engaged in nuclear weapons programs, leaving workers perplexed and prompting warnings from experts about the potential risks posed to community safety. Initially, up to 350 employees from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were abruptly laid off, with many learning about their firings only after losing access to their emails and finding their offices locked the following day.
One of the departments most impacted was the Pantex Plant in Amarillo, Texas, where nearly 30% of the workforce was affected. These employees hold some of the most sensitive positions related to national security, specifically in the reassembly of nuclear warheads. The firings were part of a broader initiative under the Department of Energy (DOE) aiming to cut approximately 2,000 federal positions, which has been characterized as a “DOGE purge,” referencing Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency.
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, criticized the decision, indicating that the team leading the cuts lacked a proper understanding of the critical responsibilities of the NNSA, which oversees the nuclear weapons infrastructure of the United States. Contrary to an official statement from the DOE claiming that fewer than 50 administrative positions were eliminated, insiders reported that the consequences of the mass firings were significant, particularly for staff with high security clearances.
On Friday night, acting NNSA director Teresa Robbins issued a memo to rescind the terminations for all but 28 employees, though confusion remained regarding the status of many staff members. Robbins' memo clarified that the terminations, initially set for February 13, 2025, had been reversed, further complicating the atmosphere of uncertainty surrounding federal employment in this critical sector.
The firings have garnered backlash from politicians, including U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur of Ohio and U.S. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, who condemned the layoffs as "utterly callous and dangerous." They emphasized that many staff members, previously involved in essential nuclear programs, had dedicated their careers to these roles and that the agency was already facing challenges due to recent retirements, exacerbating the loss of institutional knowledge.
Currently, the NNSA is in the midst of a critical $750 billion nuclear weapons modernization effort, which includes updates to land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles and the development of new stealth bombers and submarine-launched warheads. The agency has rapidly expanded its workforce in response to these initiatives, with 60% of employees in 2023 having been at their posts for five years or less. The abrupt layoffs could disrupt the NNSA's operations and create instability within the nation’s nuclear program, potentially undermining national security and emboldening adversaries.
Edwin Lyman, director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists, highlighted the potential consequences of the firings, suggesting they could lead to disarray within the national security apparatus and signal distress among U.S. adversaries. With critical infrastructure and security systems at stake, the stakes of the personnel decisions made by the Trump administration may have far-reaching implications, affecting both domestic safety and international relations.
