Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (March 27, 2025) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) led his colleagues Senators Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Representative John Garamendi (CA-08) in writing today to Secretary of Energy Chris Wright about the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE’s) cancellation of two Department of Energy (DOE) lab programs that support efforts to stop nuclear proliferation, following firings from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and DOGE access to DOE information systems.

Today’s letter follows many of these lawmakers’ letter to Secretary Wright on February 20 regarding mass firings at the NNSA. The response from Teresa M. Robbins, Acting Under Secretary for Nuclear Security and Administrator at the NNSA on February 21, failed to address concerns about the broader impact on U.S. nuclear security and nonproliferation. Since then, DOGE has continued to act with little regard for the consequences of its decisions, canceling two DOE lab programs critical to stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. Any one of these blunders would be alarming; taken together, they reflect a dangerous pattern of reckless behavior at the heart of America’s nuclear security enterprise.

Today’s letter to Secretary Wright urges DOE to restore the necessary staff and programs and ensure that nuclear safety, security, and nonproliferation remain a top priority.

In the letter, the lawmakers write, “Regarding the cancelled lab programs, according to press, DOE suspended two programs (at national labs in Brookhaven, NY and Oak Ridge, TN) that provide U.S. financial aid to inspectors at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), undermining President Trump’s own goal of preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during his confirmation hearing in January that a nuclear-armed Iran ‘cannot be allowed under any circumstances.’ As a former director of the Los Alamos nuclear laboratory in New Mexico put it: ‘These are disastrous policies. They go against science and partnerships that lift a nation.’ We share these concerns and fear that the disruptions will scare away talented professionals from the field of nuclear nonproliferation and hinder the global fight against the spread of nuclear arms.”

The lawmakers continue, “As in the case of the NNSA terminations, it is unclear whether DOE and DOGE officials understand key facts — here, the depth of the relationship between the United States and the IAEA. U.S. financial support helps the IAEA train its inspectors, who can go where U.S. government experts may not be welcome. IAEA inspectors have exposed Iran’s nuclear progress and helped prevent terrorists from acquiring nuclear material. Additionally, the assistance helps place U.S. citizens in staff positions at the IAEA. According to Laura Holgate, a former U.S. ambassador to the IAEA: ‘These programs enhance U.S. security. This is not charity. It’s in our self-interest.’ DOE and DOGE need to understand this.”

The lawmakers request answers by April 4, 2025, to questions including:

  • Why did you initially deny the NNSA’s request for a national security exemption from the mass firings at the agency?
  • Please explain the discrepancies in the number of fired NNSA employees, ranging from less than 50 to 177, to more than 300, and closer to 350. How many of the terminated NNSA employees declined to return? How has this impacted mission readiness?
  • Why did DOE immediately reverse 150 of its purported 177 firings?
  • We understand that approximately 30% of the NNSA employees initially terminated were from the Pantex Plant in Texas, the facility responsible for safely dismantling thousands of retired nuclear weapons. What measures were taken to assess the impact of these terminations on critical national security functions at this facility?
  • Why did DOE and DOGE suspend the two programs at Brookhaven and Oak Ridge national labs that provide U.S. financial assistance to inspectors at the IAEA? When these programs were suspended, did you realize that they supported nonproliferation efforts?

On February 20, Senators Markey, 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), wrote to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary 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.

On February 12, 2025, Senator Markey and Representative Don Beyer (VA-08) wrote to Secretary Wright regarding their concerns that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has been granted access to DOE, which oversees the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and the nation’s most sensitive nuclear weapons secrets.

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