Letter Text (PDF)

?Washington (February 20, 2025) - Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) along with Senators Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) and Congressman John Garamendi (CA-08), today wrote to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Chris Wright about the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) firing up to 350 staff members at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), jeopardizing the security of the U.S. nuclear stockpile, weakening our ability to detect and prevent threats to nuclear safety, and undermining U.S. nonproliferation commitments. Senators Markey and Merkley and Congressman Garamendi are co-chairs of the congressional Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group.

In the letter, the lawmakers write, “According to press reports, these firings occurred because ‘the officials did not seem to know this agency oversees America’s nuclear weapons.’ The reckless decision to eliminate 350 positions, without a clear national security justification, raises serious concerns about the Department of Energy’s (DOE) commitment to this core mission. DOE has struggled to rehire some of these employees ‘because they didn’t have their new contact information.’ This series of events calls into further question DOGE’s competence to carry out its self-assigned task.”

The lawmakers continue, “Although you and DOGE may find it administratively convenient to fire probationary employees, these particular employees were not inexperienced new hires to the federal government.” 

The lawmakers request responses to questions that include:

  • What was the rationale for the reduction in staff at the NNSA? 
  • Who determined that NNSA had too many employees and why?
  •  What is the administration’s broader strategy for responsibly ensuring adequate staffing at the NNSA that guarantees strong and effective oversight of the nuclear arsenal? 
  • If NNSA employees are not exempt, will the decision on whether to accept employees’ resignations include an assessment of how the loss of the employee in that role would impact DOE capabilities? If so, how will you make that assessment? 
  • What, if any, security assessments were conducted before terminating these 350 NNSA employees? 
  • What is the administration’s broader strategy for responsibly ensuring adequate staffing at the NNSA that guarantees strong and effective oversight of the nuclear arsenal? 
  • Which employees have been rehired and how many have accepted the offer to come back? 
  • What steps are DOE and NNSA taking to prevent unauthorized access to classified systems by DOGE members?

On February 12, 2025, Senator Markey and Congressman Don Beyer (VA-08), a House co-chair of the Nuclear Weapons and Arms Control Working Group, wrote to Energy Secretary Wright regarding their concerns that Elon Musk’s DOGE had been granted access to DOE, which oversees the NNSA and the nation’s most sensitive nuclear weapons secrets. 

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