Oversight of nuclear material security cut back due to civil service reductions, GAO finds

Staff cuts under the Trump administration at the agency responsible for safeguarding the nuclear weapons stockpile exacerbated longstanding workforce challenges at the National Nuclear Security Administration and reduced oversight of nuclear material security, according to a new watchdog report. 

In total, the Government Accountability Office found that NNSA went from nearly 2,000 federal employees in the first quarter of fiscal 2025 to 1,755 civil servants as of the second quarter of fiscal 2026. This included a 13.6% reduction in the number of “mission-critical” workers. 

While GAO in 2024 warned that NNSA was understaffed, auditors determined that the recent staff cuts “more than erased” hiring that the agency conducted in previous fiscal years. 

As a consequence, officials told GAO that they’ve had to cut back on some oversight, including of nuclear material security. The security office at one location, for example, lost about 40% of its employees that performed such work. 

The auditors reported that agency officials are trying to find efficiencies using artificial intelligence and overhauling their recruiting strategies, but they are facing several challenges. 

“Officials noted that the reductions in staff and loss of institutional knowledge have created operational challenges and increased workloads for the staff that remained,” they wrote. “In addition, officials noted that there are limitations on how artificial intelligence can currently be used based on staff expertise and limitations on using the technology in classified settings.” 

GAO found that nearly 45% of the recent staff departures were a result of the deferred resignation program, under which the government paid the salaries and benefits of participating employees for several months before they officially separated from the civil service. 

NNSA also was impacted by the president’s freeze on federal civilian hiring, but auditors reported that the agency was able to bring on 35 individuals during such period due to an exception for national security personnel. 

The report also covers an incident from February 2025 when, as part of the mass firings of new federal employees who were still in their one-year probationary periods, NNSA removed more than 160 such workers. Ultimately, the agency rescinded most of those terminations shortly thereafter. 

In response to a request for comment, an agency spokesperson said in a statement to Government Executive that: “NNSA remains focused on ensuring we have the skilled workforce necessary to execute our national security mission. We continue to assess staffing and recruitment needs, improve operational efficiency and prioritize mission-critical positions to support safety requirements, nuclear modernization and deliver on mission priorities.”

GAO has recently issued several reports examining the effects of staff cuts on government services at multiple agencies, including the departments of Housing and Urban Development, Labor and State.