Trump administration struggles to reinstate fired nuclear safety workers

By Beril Canakci

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Trump administration is attempting to reinstate federal nuclear safety workers it fired but is having difficulty contacting them because they have lost access to their government email accounts.

The National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), which oversees the US nuclear weapons stockpile, terminated several employees on Thursday as part of broader federal job cuts.

The agency later attempted to reverse some of the firings but lacked updated contact information for affected workers, NBC reported on Saturday.

An internal email obtained by NBC urged current employees to help relay the message, stating that termination letters for some probationary workers were rescinded. Officials asked recipients to share the update with colleagues through personal email accounts.

One NNSA nuclear safety specialist told NBC that she was informed her termination had been reversed but remained locked out of her email. While she plans to return to work, she said she would continue job hunting, citing concerns about job stability.

The federal job cuts, part of an effort backed by President Trump and US tech billionaire Elon Musk—the head of the unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)—to reduce government staffing, have sparked opposition from Democrats, labor unions, and advocacy groups.

NBC reported that more than 60 lawsuits challenging the administration’s actions are pending.