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- DOGE-proof: Congress moves to protect nuclear weapons workers from layoffs</p>
<p>Davis Winkie, USA TODAY July 25, 2025 at 12:55 AM</p>
<p>Employees at the government agency responsible for designing, building and maintaining nuclear weapons may soon have legal protection from the wave of layoffs sweeping the federal government under President Donald Trump.</p>
<p>A draft defense bill in the Senate includes a provision that, if signed into law, will reclassify National Nuclear Security Administration workers as "necessary to meet national security responsibilities." The agency, whose less than 1,900 federal employees oversee a contract workforce of more than 60,000, plays a pivotal role in a $1.7 trillion push to modernize the U.S. nuclear arsenal.</p>
<p>More: Top nuke officials admit staffing challenges after DOGE layoffs, hiring freeze</p>
<p>The new classification would protect the NNSA from future layoffs stemming from the Department of Government Efficiency, formerly headed by tech billionaire Elon Musk. A joint memo from the Office of Personnel Management and Office of Management and Budget directing the cuts exempts national security positions.</p>
<p>The NNSA lost more than 130 of its 2,000 federal employees earlier this year due to the DOGE deferred resignation program, and in mid-February, more than 300 workers were chaotically fired and then reinstated.</p>
<p>The workforce woes are a long-running problem at NNSA, which requires employees with significant technical expertise. For decades, the agency battled staffing problems that hampered its ability to provide effective safety oversight of its contractors and led to major project delays and cost overruns, a USA TODAY investigation found.</p>
<p>The cuts dashed the momentum the agency had gained in 2024 from a record hiring year, former NNSA defense programs head Marvin Adams told USA TODAY in May.</p>
<p>The Department of Energy and NNSA acknowledged but did not respond to an inquiry from USA TODAY.</p>
<p>Crucially, the national security position designation, if it becomes law, could exempt NNSA from the Trump administration's federal hiring freeze. The agency's acting leadership told Senate lawmakers in May that their inability to fill vacancies caused by firings, resignations and attrition meant the agency "shifted people around" to meet "critical needs."</p>
<p>Jill Hruby, who led the NNSA during the Biden administration, told USA TODAY the reclassification means the agency's workforce will "be more easily protected from layoffs." Hruby noted that Defense Department civilian employees supporting nuclear missions already enjoy similar protections.</p>
<p>More: Nuclear weapons woes: Understaffed nuke agency hit by DOGE and safety worries</p>
<p>Lawmakers from the House also indicated their interest in NNSA workforce issues in their draft version of the defense policy bill.</p>
<p>Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Massachusetts, wrote an amendment that, if signed into law, would require NNSA's leadership to brief House Armed Services Committee lawmakers on its workforce needs amid "increased requirements across weapon development and infrastructure modernization."</p>
<p>The Moulton amendment cleared a major hurdle when it passed the House Armed Services Committee on July 16 to become part of the draft bill.</p>
<p>But before either provision goes into effect, Congress must pass (and Trump must sign) a final version of the defense policy bill after reconciling differences between the House and Senate's respective versions of the legislation.</p>
<p>If you're a current or former NNSA employee willing to inform USA TODAY's coverage of the agency, please contact Davis Winkie via the Signal encrypted messaging app at winkie.11. Davis Winkie's role covering nuclear threats and national security at USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Outrider Foundation and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.</p>
<p>This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nuclear weapons workers could be protected from future DOGE cuts</p>
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