February 16, 2025 – The US government is facing difficulties in rehiring nuclear safety staff after mistakenly laying off employees from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) earlier this week. These workers, involved in overseeing the nation’s nuclear weapons stockpile, were among the hundreds of employees at the Department of Energy who received termination letters on Thursday.
An email obtained by NBC News revealed that while some of the termination letters are being rescinded, the government is struggling to get in touch with the affected personnel.
These layoffs are part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to cut down the federal workforce, which began shortly after his inauguration in January 2025. In addition to these recent layoffs, nearly 10,000 federal workers were dismissed last week, with another 75,000 voluntarily leaving their posts in the autumn under an offer from the White House.
The nuclear security officials who were dismissed on Thursday had critical roles in ensuring the safety of nuclear weapons, including those stationed at facilities where nuclear weapons are produced.
Efforts to contact the laid-off workers have been complicated, with the government asking current employees to send information to workers’ personal contact emails.
Source: BBC News
