Donald Trump gives surprising reaction to firing and hiring of nuclear weapons security staff; ‘It is amazing…’
Donald Trump asserted that he was elected with an aim to build a “stronger and smaller” government.
US President Donald Trump reacted to firing and rehiring of some nuclear weapons security personnel of the Department of Energy. Trump surprisingly stated that he didn't mind the way the terminations were handled.
Amidst the ongoing attempts to cut the federal budget under Trump administration, National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) employees were informed on Thursday that they were being let go. According to the White House, “less than 50” NNSA employees were fired, and they all were probationary new hires without civil service termination protections.
According to NBC News, NNSA officials apparently rushed over the weekend to notify some of those employees that their expulsions had been revoked, but they experienced trouble obtaining their personal contact information.
On Tuesday, a reporter asked Trump if he was worried about the manner in which these terminations occurred.
“No, not at all. I think we have to just do what we have to do. It's, you know, you're going to— it's amazing what's been found right now. It's amazing. In some cases, they'll fire people then they'll put some people back ... not all of them because a lot of people were let go,” the President stated.
Trump even reminded that he was elected with an aim to build a “stronger and smaller” government.
The hundreds of people fired from NNSA were part of a Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) purge that affected roughly 2,000 workers within the Department of Energy.
Trump administration, DOGE face flak over firing
The Trump administration and DOGE came under fire over the recent firing of nuclear staff, with Democratic Representative Jason Crow of Colorado saying in a post on X, “This isn't government efficiency. It's incompetence. They are making America less safe.”
In an interview with The Associated Press, Arms Control Association executive director Daryl Kimball said, “The DOGE people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for.”
The number of NNSA employees who will be reinstated after being fired is still unknown. Several NNSA employees are reevaluating going back to work because of the uncertainty DOGE has caused.