Here is a summary of what the National Nuclear Safety Administration does and the possible reasons why Trump’s government had to quickly adjust some of the layoffs.
When last week they were sent to employees from the entire federal government, the government of Donald Trump affected an agency in charge of preparing arsenal nuclear United States.
The measure also put the reflectors on the National Nuclear Safety Administration (Nsa for its acronym in English), which probably few Americans often think, or never, but has a monumental responsibility.
Here is a summary of what this unknown agency does and the possible reasons why Trump’s government had to quickly adjust some of the layoffs:
What is the mission of the agency?
The National Nuclear Safety Administration maintains, reconditions and protects the more than 3000 nuclear heads in the United States.
It also supervises the production of new nuclear heads.
It has an annual budget of 25,000 million dollars and more than 57,000 employees.
The Congress also commissioned the agency to frustrate the nuclear proliferation, investigate and develop nuclear propulsion systems for submarines and direct the national laboratories that provide scientific and key engineering knowledge for the American nuclear weapons system.
Among those laboratories is the historical Los Alamos National Laboratoryin New Mexico, where the ultrasecreto was carried out Manhattan project During World War II.
What department does it belong to?
Confusedly, despite the fundamental role that has long played in the military defense strategy, the agency belongs to the Department of Energyand not to defense.
In 2017, after accepting the offer to perform the position of Secretary of Energy in Trump’s first government, Rick Perry was baffled by the fact that the position involved supervising the maintenance and production of the most fearsome weapons in the world.
What happened last week?
Thursday, some 300 employees Proof of the nuclear safety agency were fired, according to people familiar with the matter.
A spokesman for the Energy Department refuted those figures, stating that he had fired less than 50 people from the agency and that the majority performed administrative and office functions.
On Friday night, at least some of the agency’s dismissed employees were told to return to their jobs, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke under condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about The layoffs.
NBC News He reported that the agency had difficulties to contact some employees who wanted to return, unable to find contact information of these workers after their federal government email accounts were closed.
Why is this a critical moment for the agency?
The agency is trying Modernize arsenal of American nuclear weapons, which quickly ages.
In 2024, the NNSA was carrying out seven programs for modernization of nuclear heads for the Department of Defense.
The New York Times last year reported that the US army was expected to spend approximately 1.7 billion dollars in reviewing the infrastructure of nuclear weapons and the nuclear heads that were designed and built several decades before.
That means that the agency is supervising research, development, evidence, design, production and maintenance of new nuclear heads and updated infrastructure they require.
In 2024, the then administrator of the NNSA, Jill Hruby, said that his agency “was being asked to do more than at any other time from the Manhattan project.”
The nuclear modernization programs of the Department of Defense depend on the ability of the NNSA to provide nuclear heads “at the right time,” said Anya Fink, an analyst at the US defense policy, in a recent report to Congress.
Why worry job losses?
Congress has expressed concern about the problems of contracting and retention of personnel in the NNSA.
In April 2024, the Secretary of Energy, Jennifer Granholm, declared before the Congress that the voluntary casualties of qualified employees in the agency remained high due to the long working days and the fierce competition for talents by the private sector.
Several government reports highlighted that year the problems of personnel throughout the agency and among their contractors that manufacture nuclear head components.
The government accountability office, a surveillance agency, estimated that for fiscal year 2026 the NNSA would have 200 positions below the level considered necessary if there was no remedy.
“We face a great demand at a time when our company is not well positioned to satisfy it,” said Hruby, the previous administrator, in a speech pronounced four days before the inauguration of President Trump.
Minho Kim covers last minute news and climate change. Reside in Washington.