Federal nuclear waste cleanup office faces 45% vacancy rate, federal watchdog warns

The federal office responsible for overseeing the nation’s nuclear waste cleanup operations has lost nearly half of the required workforce, raising concerns about the U.S. government’s ability to safely manage radioactive contamination left behind by decades of weapons production and research, according to a new federal watchdog report. 

The report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management ended fiscal 2025 with a 45% vacancy rate after staffing levels fell from 1,272 employees in 2023 to just 856 workers by the close of last year.

The office oversees one of the federal government’s largest and most expensive long-term projects, with cleanup obligations stretching across former weapons production sites in states including New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington.

The report warned that the office “has become further understaffed” and said the shortages are affecting positions “integral to carrying out EM’s mission.”

The watchdog agency said the shortages are especially problematic in roles such as nuclear engineers, safety specialists, and physical scientists tasked with overseeing some of the country’s most hazardous cleanup projects. 

According to the report, the roles are essential for “addressing contaminated buildings, soil, and groundwater, and treating radioactive waste.”

The staffing crisis accelerated amid federal workforce reduction programs introduced in 2025, the GAO reported. Of the 409 employees who left the agency in fiscal 2025, 76% departed through the government’s Deferred Resignation Program, and “almost half (180) were in mission-critical occupations.”

The staffing problems come as the Energy Department manages radioactive waste, contaminated groundwater and aging nuclear facilities at sites across the country, including former Cold War weapons complexes. 

The full cleanup effort is currently “estimated to cost more than half a trillion dollars,” according to the GAO report.

The GAO warned that workforce losses threaten to worsen longstanding problems that have already contributed to schedule delays, rising costs, and workplace accidents within the cleanup program. 

The agency noted that earlier staffing shortages “had led to cost overruns, schedule delays, and accidents, including fires and radiation spills.”

Investigators also reiterated earlier warnings that “without efforts to address workforce challenges, severe staffing shortages threatened EM’s ability to meet its mission.”

The report found the remaining workforce is aging rapidly. As of the end of fiscal 2025, “35 percent of EM’s remaining staff, and 30 percent in mission-critical occupations, will be eligible for retirement by 2030.”

The GAO reported that Energy Department officials told investigators they plan to hire roughly 174 new employees in fiscal 2026 to offset some of the staffing losses. Still, the agency is simultaneously reassessing staffing requirements while considering possible organizational restructuring measures.

Nuclear safety experts have warned for many years that maintaining institutional knowledge is essential at the agency, given that nuclear waste cleanup operations can span decades and involve highly specialized technical expertise to complete the job.