Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have touted their restructuring efforts as rooted in “competence and care.” Yet, their recent handling of the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) layoffs reveals a stark contradiction—one of incompetence and recklessness.
According to reports from the Los Angeles Times and MSN, the Trump administration, under DOGE’s guidance, mistakenly fired a large portion of NNSA employees last Thursday, only to scramble the following day to rehire them after realizing their error. While most workers were reinstated, 28 employees were permanently dismissed. This misstep, labeled a mere “mistake” by the White House, raises serious concerns about the competence of those overseeing these cuts (MSN).
Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, criticized DOGE’s apparent lack of understanding:
“The DOGE people are coming in with absolutely no knowledge of what these departments are responsible for,” Kimball said. “They don’t seem to realize that it’s actually the Department of Nuclear Weapons more than it is the Department of Energy” (Los Angeles Times via MSN).
CNN further reported that the layoffs affected NNSA staff responsible for overseeing nuclear weapon production and ensuring compliance with safety standards. One insider revealed that the firings happened because “no one has taken any time to understand what we do and the importance of our work to the nation’s national security” (CNN).
The backlash was swift. Journalist Molly Jong-Fast sarcastically remarked:
“Accidentally firing the people in charge of the nukes! Whoops!”
A self-described Army veteran went even further, calling it “embarrassing to be an American” and asserting that “Trump and Musk are making America weaker, not stronger” (MSN).
Musk has repeatedly claimed that DOGE operates with “sensitivity and care,” but the agency’s record tells a different story—one of hasty, uninformed decisions that jeopardize national security. Despite mounting evidence of incompetence, DOGE continues its aggressive cost-cutting approach, often dismissing criticism with a simple “we are human” excuse. However, national security is not an area where trial and error should be acceptable.
This latest blunder underscores the urgent need for congressional oversight. If Trump and Musk cannot ensure competence in their governance, then external checks must be put in place before more reckless decisions threaten American security.
Sources/Additional Reading:
- MSN News: “‘Embarrassing to be an American’: Trump Administration Under Fire After Accidentally Firing Workers Overseeing Nation’s Nuclear Power Then Scrambling to Rehire Them”
- CNN (for additional context on NNSA layoffs)
Submitted by:
Rev. Renaldo McKenzie, Editor-in-Chief/President
Renaldo is also Author of “Neoliberalism” (Neoliberalism, Globalization, Income Inequality, Poverty and Resistance” and President of The Neoliberal Corporation, Creator and Host of The Neoliberal Round Podcast and YouTube Channel.
This article is available in The Neoliberal Post and presented in The Neoliberal Round Podcast.
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