Between 300 and 400 employees at the nuclear safety authority NNSA, an authority under the energy department responsible for, among other things, one of the world's largest nuclear weapon arsenals, have received a notice of termination, according to one of the sources.
However, the notices were withdrawn at a meeting with the employees on Friday. NNSA wants to get them back in service since they handle sensitive national security secrets, according to sources with insight into the process but without permission to speak publicly.
The positions typically require a high security clearance, with a review process that can take over 18 months or longer to complete, emphasizes Jill Hruby, former head of NNSA under President Joe Biden's administration.
The terminations are part of the large-scale cuts across the entire government apparatus in the USA, driven by Elon Musk's "efficiency authority" Doge (Department of Government Efficiency) on behalf of President Donald Trump.
NNSA is responsible, among other things, for manufacturing and dismantling nuclear weapons, supplying the navy with nuclear reactors for submarines, and responding to radioactive emergency situations.
