It was an abrupt about-face. Last Thursday, federal employees at the agency that manages the U.S. stockpile of nuclear weapons were suddenly let go by the Trump administration, with some employees receiving the news late Thursday night.
Then, as early as the next morning, some of those firings were reversed, with employees being told they should come back to work.
The White House has struggled to reach some of the employees it fired to tell them that they still have their jobs.
What is happening at the Department of Energy’s agency for our nuclear stockpile? And what could this latest firing of federal employees mean for our security?
Find more of our programs online . Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a .
Copyright 2025 NPR
