Trump administration wants to undo firing nuclear safety workers

 

Trump administration wants to undo firing nuclear safety workers.

Trump administration wants to undo firing nuclear safety workers but can’t figure out how to reach them.

Individuals working for an agency that oversees the country’s nuclear stockpile were fired Thursday and have lost access to their federal government email accounts.

National Nuclear Security Administration officials tried Friday to notify some employees laid off the day before that they were now set to be reassigned, but they had trouble finding them because they didn’t have their new contact information.

In an email sent to NNSA employees and obtained by NBC News, officials wrote, “Severance letters are being rescinded for some NNSA probationary employees, but we don’t have a good way to communicate with these employees.”

The individuals referred to in the email were fired Thursday and have lost access to their federal government email accounts. The National Nuclear Security Administration, which is part of the Department of Energy and oversees the nation’s nuclear stockpile, cannot directly reach those employees and is now asking email recipients to “please work with your supervisors to forward this information (as soon as we receive it) to people’s emails.”

The Trump administration has moved with unprecedented speed—and, in some cases, questionable legality—in seeking to cut large parts of the federal government, lay off employees, and terminate contracts. But that speed has led to complications, including firing people the agencies want to keep.

The emails come after several civilian employees — at the National Nuclear Security Administration received termination notices late Thursday, according to a source with direct knowledge of the notices. NBC News reviewed the termination notice, which included the subject line: “Notice of Termination During Test/Experiment Period.”

The National Nuclear Security Administration’s mission is to design, build, and oversee the United States’ nuclear weapons stockpile.

The termination notices, which read “effective today,” came within hours of a Russian drone striking the Chornobyl power plant in Ukraine. The National Nuclear Security Administration tracks nuclear risks in Ukraine, including through sensor systems.

The NNSA saga comes as the Trump administration has carried out mass layoffs across the federal government this week, primarily cutting jobs of employees classified as “testers.”

Some departments have seen massive layoffs, such as the Department of Homeland Security, where more than 400 people have been notified of job cuts.

The move comes as President Donald Trump and one of his top advisers, tech mogul Elon Musk, seek to shrink the federal government.

Democrats, labor unions, and progressive organizations have resisted the federal cuts. More than 60 lawsuits pending against the Trump administration allege executive overreach and other abuses.