The Comings & Goings of the National Nuclear Security Administration
The Trump administration rescinded firings of hundreds of employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which oversees the nation's arsenal of nuclear weapons, in a reversal that has fueled scrutiny over Elon Musk's efforts to cut the federal workforce.
A spokesman for the Department of Energy, which the semi-autonomous NNSA falls under, told USA TODAY less than 50 workers had their jobs terminated. About 325 NNSA workers initially received notices late last week that they had been laid off, according to Reuters.
The dismissals are part of Trump's wave of mass firings throughout the federal workforce, engineered by Musk's Department of Government Efficiency. The original notices prompted one senior NNSA staff member Friday to issue a public call to action before the terminations were halted.
"We cannot expect to project strength, deterrence, and world dominance while simultaneously stripping away the federal workforce that provides strategic oversight to ensure our nuclear enterprise remains safe, secure, and effective," Rob Plonski, a deputy division director at NNSA, wrote in a Friday Linkedin post.
In an update on Saturday, Plonksi said: "NNSA Leadership pushed back and overturned the purge of highly skilled and mission critical staff that occurred yesterday." He thanked senior leaders for "taking a stand for what is right and critically necessary to ensure the safety and security of the nuclear enterprise."
The Associated Press reported about 30% of the cuts were at the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. Some of the fired NNSA employees worked on areas that aren't priorities to the Trump administration such as energy efficiency and climate change, according to the AP, but others dealt with nuclear issues, though not directly with the agency's weapons programs.
The NNSA's Office of Defense Programs is responsible for maintaining and modernizing the nation's stockpile of nuclear weapons. Engineers and technicians within the NNSA work to ensure the health of the weapons by studying and replacing components and materials as they age, according to the Energy Department.
NBC News reported the NNSA struggled to notify some of the agency's originally fired employees that their terminations were rescinded because they lost access to their government email accounts.
“The termination letters for some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel," an email reported by NBC that was sent to employees at NNSA reads. "Please work with your supervisors to send this information (once you get it) to people’s personal contact emails."
Across the federal workforce, the Trump administration late last week fired probationary workers who were typically either hired or promoted to their positions within the last year. Probationary workers are easier to fire because they lack the bargaining rights that career employees have to appeal their terminations.
The moves came after an offer for federal employees to accept buyouts in exchange for their resignation expired.
As many as 2,000 Energy Department employees overall were laid off in the purge. The NNSA has 1,800 workers in facilities across the country and relies on about 55,000 contractors.
An Energy Department spokesman said the terminated NNSA employees "were probationary employees and held primarily administrative and clerical roles."
NNSA will continue all of its protection of national security, the development and management of atomic weapons, and non-proliferation work, the spokesperson said.
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