In a bizarre twist, the Trump administration in the United States initially laid off hundreds of federal employees involved in nuclear weapons manufacturing and maintenance activities, only to immediately reverse the decision and reinstate them.

The Department of Energy (DOE) had initially planned to cut 2,000 employees. As part of this, 350 staff members were removed from the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) on Thursday. Additionally, 30% of the staff at the Pantex plant in Texas, which is involved in nuclear weapons manufacturing, were also laid off.

However, realizing the mistake, the government rehired all but 28 employees who were initially dismissed. Experts warned that such critical layoffs in the nuclear weapons sector could pose a national security threat, prompting the government to retract its decision.