Thousands of federal workers at the Department of Energy are now officially on the chopping block. An internal document obtained by The Associated Press shows more than 8,500 positions, nearly half of the department, have been labeled nonessential, putting them at risk under a Trump administration order to slash the federal workforce.
That includes around 500 workers from the National Nuclear Security Administration—the people who handle America’s nuclear arsenal. This mass workforce review follows Trump’s Feb. 26 executive order calling for a large-scale reduction in force, giving federal agencies until mid-March to decide who stays and who goes.
Critics are calling the move not just reckless, but dangerous. Even Energy Secretary Chris Wright, a Trump appointee, admitted it was a mistake to lay off nuclear security staff earlier this year — moves that were reversed when it became clear their roles were critical to maintaining the U.S. stockpile.
Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.
