The Trump administration has halted the firings of federal employees who worked on U.S. nuclear weapons programs. The back-and-forth situation left workers confused.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is a new temporary office. President Donald Trump asked billionaire businessman Elon Musk to lead the group in 2024. The White House on Monday stated that Musk is a “Senior Advisor to the President” without authority to make government decisions, rather than an employee or leader of DOGE. That was in response to lawsuits alleging that Musk's unelected role in the government is unconstitutional. The White House has not stated who is in charge of day-to-day operations. But as head of state and creator of the department, ultimate responsibility falls on the President.
DOGE is meant to save money and reduce government debt. Cutting jobs is a way to do that.
Late last week, DOGE purged about 2,000 employees across the Department of Energy. Three anonymous officials told the Associated Press that up to 350 of those worked for the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Their dismissals were abrupt. Some lost access to email even before they found out they were fired.
The anonymous accounts contradict an official statement from the Department of Energy. The statement said fewer than 50 nuclear staffers were let go.
One of the hardest hit offices was the Pantex Plant near Amarillo, Texas. Employees there work on reassembling warheads. It is one of the most sensitive jobs across the nuclear weapons field.
“The DOGE people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for,” says Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. “They don’t seem to realize that it’s actually the department of nuclear weapons more than it is the Department of Energy.”
U.S. Representative Marcy Kaptur and U.S. Senator Patty Murray called last week’s DOGE firings “utterly callous and dangerous.”
By late Friday night, Department of Energy’s acting director, Teresa Robbins, canceled the firings for all but 28 staffers.
Some of the fired Department of Energy employees dealt with energy efficiency and climate. But many others handled nuclear-related tasks—even if they didn’t directly work on weapons programs. Their jobs included managing radioactive waste sites and ensuring the material there doesn’t further pollute nearby communities.
Some reinstated NNSA staff are considering whether to return to work, given the insecurity created by the firings and re-hirings.
Edwin Lyman is director of nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists. He says the dismissals could interrupt the day-to-day workings of the agency. They could also create problems for the nuclear program both at home and abroad.
Humans need wisdom and prudence in situations like those that face today’s leaders. Cutting waste is necessary when a nation has debt to address. But acting in haste—even if there is good work to be done—can have serious and far-reaching consequences. Pray for our leaders to seek wisdom from above.
The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. — James 3:17
