"In short: The Trump administration has halted the firing of hundreds of workers in nuclear weapons programs.
"It comes after 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration were abruptly laid off last week.
"The Pantex Plant was one of the hardest offices hit, seeing about 30 per cent of the cuts.
"The Trump administration has halted the firings of hundreds of workers in nuclear weapons programs, with experts cautioning that a new cost-cutting task force will put communities at risk.
"US officials said up to 350 employees at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) were abruptly laid off on Thursday.
"According to the officials, some employees lost access to their email before they had learnt that they were fired and were locked out of their offices on Friday morning."
....
"While some of the Energy Department employees who were fired dealt with energy efficiency and the effects of climate change, many others dealt with nuclear issues.
"This included managing massive radioactive waste sites and ensuring the material does not further contaminate nearby communities.
"Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur and Senator Patty Murray of Washington, both Democrats, called the firings last week 'utterly callous and dangerous.'"
....
"Nuclear power safety at the Union of Concerned Scientists director Edwin Lyman said the firings could disrupt the day-to-day workings of the agency and create a sense of instability over the nuclear program both at home and abroad.
"'I think the signal to US adversaries is pretty clear: throw a monkey wrench in the whole national security apparatus and cause disarray,'" he said.
"'That can only benefit the adversaries of this country.'
"Many federal employees who had worked on the nation's nuclear programs had spent their entire careers there and there was a wave of retirements in recent years that cost the agency years of institutional knowledge."