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Trump needs fired nuclear watchdogs back after all

The dangerous snap decision regarding US civil servants could now come back to haunt US President Donald Trump.

(Bild: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds)

Donald Trump's administration has inadvertently dismissed numerous employees of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) - including highly qualified experts responsible for the surveillance and security of the US nuclear arsenal. The agency now wants to reverse the dismissals, but is facing an unexpected problem.

Many of the affected employees can no longer be contacted as they have lost access to their work email accounts following their dismissal. This is according to internal communications from the authority, which are available to NBC News.

Officials previously dismissed "with immediate effect"
Thursday's layoffs came amid a sweeping reduction in the federal government's workforce being pushed by Trump and his adviser Elon Musk. The aim of these measures is to drastically reduce the size of the state apparatus. As part of these cuts, numerous NNSA employees were suddenly informed that their contracts had been terminated "with immediate effect".

Experts missing for nuclear security
According to a report by NBC News, the mass dismissal particularly included so-called "probationary employees", i.e. employees who are still in their probationary period. However, these were not only administrative staff, but also scientists, engineers and security experts involved in the maintenance and management of the US nuclear arsenal.

A particularly sensitive moment: the dismissals were announced just a few hours after a Russian drone attack on the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Among other things, the NNSA is responsible for monitoring nuclear risks worldwide - including through sensor systems in conflict regions such as Ukraine.

Confusion over reinstatement
On Friday, just one day after the dismissals, the Trump administration decided to reverse some of these terminations. But there was a problem: many of the dismissed employees could no longer be contacted as they had lost access to their work email accounts following their sudden dismissal.

The "nuclear football" is haunting Trump at every turn - but there is currently fire under the roof in the USA, especially when it comes to nuclear safety.

(Bild: MANDEL NGAN)

In an internal email obtained by NBC News, the NNSA asked its remaining employees to look for private contact options for those affected. "The resignation letters of some NNSA probationary employees are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to contact these individuals," the message reads.

Colleagues to help with search
The affected employees are now to be informed by colleagues or superiors. The letter goes on to say: "Please work with your line manager to forward this information - as soon as you receive it - to the private email addresses of the individuals concerned."

The dismissals and subsequent chaotic reinstatement caused massive criticism. The Democrats and several trade unions condemned the measure as "irresponsible" and "a serious threat to national security".

Particularly harsh criticism was directed at the fact that the dismissals appeared to have been made without careful consideration and that even employees whose expertise is crucial to the country's security were affected.

Dismissed employee: "No longer have confidence"
One fired NNSA expert told NBC News: "I'm still locked out of my systems, but my supervisor called me and told me that my termination has been rescinded and that I should report to work on Tuesday." Despite being reinstated, however, he said he wanted to look for a new job: "I no longer have confidence that my job is safe."

The NNSA is not the only agency affected by the staff cuts. In total, thousands of jobs have been cut in various ministries. The situation was particularly drastic at the Department of Homeland Security, where over 400 employees were laid off.

Trump and Musk attempting to make cuts
The cuts are part of a comprehensive plan by Trump and Musk to reduce the bureaucracy of the federal government. However, the implementation is apparently taking place so hastily that massive problems are occurring time and again - the dismissal and rehiring of nuclear weapons experts is likely to be the biggest faux pas to date.

The Democrats and several progressive organizations have already taken legal action. There are currently more than 60 lawsuits pending against the Trump administration's personnel policy.