To’remake America’s federal workforce,’ the US President approved an executive order.
According to reports, Donald Trump’s plan to optimize the workforce at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is reversing course and rushing to reinstate employees who were in charge of the US nuclear arsenal.
The executive order issued by US President Trump to “reform the federal workforce to better serve Americans” isn’t being as successful as he had hoped. In fact, officials allegedly dismissed several employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) without realizing they were responsible for guarding the nuclear arsenal.
The White House released a fact sheet online on February 11 that describes Trump’s administration’s plans to “reform the federal workforce to better serve Americans.”
Consulting with DOGE to “shrink the size of the federal workforce and limit hiring to essential positions”—”significantly reducing the size of the government”—is one of the ways the executive order claims it will “make the federal workforce more efficient and effective.”
According to Reuters, on February 14, two sources verified that over 300 employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) had been let go, with notices of termination purportedly issued on February 13.
A spokesperson for the Energy Department has denied this figure, telling CNN that the number is much lower and that the individuals fired “held primarily administrative and clerical roles.”
Congress, according to another source, was “freaking out because it appears DOE didn’t really realize NNSA oversees the nuclear stockpile.”
“There is no question that the nuclear deterrent is the foundation of American security and stability. They went on to say that it should be extremely frightening for people to see even tiny holes being poked in the deterrent’s maintenance.
In fact, officials are obviously now aware of their error in firing even some employees who assist in managing the US nuclear weapons fleet, as evidenced by their desperate attempts to fire them. An email obtained by NBC News shows that they are having trouble contacting the employees.
The email, which is purportedly addressed to NNSA staff, says: “We do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel, but the termination letters for some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded.
“Please work with your supervisors to send this information (once you get it) to people’s personal contact emails.”
A nuclear safety specialist who was fired by the NNSA on Thursday also told NBC News that although her manager had contacted her to let her know the termination notice had been “rescinded,” she was still unable to access her emails.
She has stated that she will return, but she leaves “as soon as [she] find[s] another role.”
