ML25239A090
| ML25239A090 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 09/03/2025 |
| From: | David Wright NRC/Chairman |
| To: | Whitehouse S US Congress, US HR (House of Representatives), US SEN (Senate), US SEN, Comm on Environment & Public Works |
| Shared Package | |
| ML25226A249 | List: |
| References | |
| LTR-25-0275, CORR-25-0078 | |
| Download: ML25239A090 (1) | |
Text
August Senate EPW Request Enclosure Page 1 of 6
- 1.
How many staffers were employed at the NRC on January 19, 2025? Please also provide the number of staffers at the agency at the beginning of calendar year 2024, 2023, and 2022.
The NRC defines staffers as permanent and temporary employees, that includes the staff in each Commissioners office and excludes employees in the Office of the Inspector General.
This definition is applicable to all questions referencing staffers.
January 19, 2025:
2885 January 2024:
2812 January 2023:
2723 January 2022:
2686
- 2.
How many staffers opted into the Trump Administrations deferred resignation program (DRP) and will separate from the NRC by September 30, 2025? By December 31, 2025?
Please provide a list of the positions and offices of all the staffers who were placed on DRP administrative leave.
Opted-in: 112 Separated from the NRC by September 30, 2025: 49 Separated from the NRC by December 31, 2025: 63 See Attachment A for the offices and positions of the staffers who were placed on DRP administrative leave.
- 3.
Please explain how the NRC has backfilled the duties of the staffers who are on administrative leave.
The NRC has backfilled most of the duties of staffers on administrative leave by distributing their duties to other staff and moving individuals to higher priority work. When needed, the NRC has hired specifically for mission-critical positions. The NRC also shed several low priority items to better focus on the higher priority work.
- 4.
How many positions does the NRC plan to fill once the DRP staffers have permanently separated from the agency?
The NRC does not have a set number of positions it plans to fill once the DRP staffers have separated.
- 5.
How many, if any, staffers were disapproved as ineligible for the DRP offer because their positions were considered critical to mission work or for other reasons?
All employees were eligible for the DRP.
August Senate EPW Request Page 2 of 6
- 6.
Excluding the staffers who accepted the DRP offer, how many employees have retired or departed from the NRC since January 20, 2025?
As of July 31, 2025, 184 employees have retired or departed from the NRC since January 20, 2025, excluding those who accepted the DRP offer.
- 7.
How many staffers has the NRC hired since the Administrations federal hiring freeze mandate was initially issued in January? For what positions have these staffers been hired? Please provide their title and the office in which they work.
The NRC has hired 56 staffers since the Administrations federal hiring freeze through July 31, 2025.
See Attachment B for the offices and positions of the staffers who were hired.
- 8.
How many job postings, both internally and externally, have been posted since January 20, 2025? Please provide details on the positions.
The NRC has posted 21 job postings, both internal and external, since January 20, 2025.
See Attachment C for the details of the positions.
- 9.
How many positions does the NRC anticipate will need to be filled once the hiring freeze is lifted?
The NRC does not have a set number of positions it plans to fill once the hiring freeze is lifted.
Any hiring actions will be informed by the NRCs projected workload.
- 10.
Please detail how the NRC has used the additional hiring and pay authorities provided under the ADVANCE Act, including the number of hires and their position and any compensation pay for new or existing staff. If the NRC has not exercised these authorities, please provide an explanation.
The agency has made 27 hires using direct hire authorities since October 1, 2024.
- 11.
Executive Order 14300 directs the NRC undertake reductions in force and implement an agency-wide reorganization, with a possible exception for increases in the new reactor licensing area. How does the NRC plan to make layoffs and restructure the agency in a manner that does not lead to staffing gaps in other program areas?
At this time, the NRC is considering a proposal to restructure the agency to support the directives in the ADVANCE Act and Executive Order 14300. In order to remain properly staffed in all areas, there are no plans for involuntary reductions. The NRC is moving individuals from lower priority work to higher priority work. The NRC will look at anticipated future work when making final staffing decisions to limit any staffing gaps.
- 12.
Is there a target number of staffers that will be laid off?
There are no plans for involuntary staff reductions in force.
August Senate EPW Request Page 3 of 6
- 13.
Please provide the criteria that will be used in determining staff reductions in force (RIFs) and reorganization and detail the role of the Commission in determining the RIFs and reorganization.
The goals of the proposed reorganization are streamlining the organization, focusing on higher priority work, and improving efficiency. Criteria were chosen to reflect these goals when considering different organizational models. To implement the proposed reorganization, the NRC does not currently anticipate any involuntary staff reductions in force. The agency plans to use natural attrition and internal staff movements to address efficiency gains.
Page 4 of 6 Attachment A - Offices and Positions of Staffers on DRP Administrative Leave Office of Administration Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office of the Chief Financial Officer Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Region II Director, Office of Administration Director, Embark Venture Studio Senior Budget Analyst Senior Reactor Systems Engineer Senior Resident Inspector (6)
Senior Contract Specialist (2)
Electronics Engineer Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer Senior Technical Advisor for Civil/Structural Engineering Senior Project Engineer (2)
Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Security Senior Reactor Operations Engineer IT Program Manager Materials Engineer Senior Construction Project Inspector Administrative Assistant Senior Project Manager (5)
Senior HR Specialist (2)
Senior Computer Engineer Administrative Assistant Branch Chief (2)
Project Manager HR Specialist Senior Electrical Engineer Operations Engineer (2)
Division Director Administrative Assistant (2)
IT Project Manager Branch Chief Project Engineer Environmental Project Manager Reactor Engineer (RTR Examiner)
Office of the Chief Information Officer Project Manager Branch Chief Graduate Fellow (Health Physicist)
Reactor Operations Engineer (3)
Deputy Division Director Senior Geotechnical Engineer Region III Project Manager (4)
Reactor Systems Engineer IT Project Manager Reactor Systems Engineer (Advanced Reactors)
Senior Reactor Inspector (2)
Senior Civil Engineer Civil Engineer (2)
Special Assistant Senior Management and Program Analyst Senior Health Physicist Senior Groundwater Hydrologist Senior Electrical Engineer Agency Records Officer Region I Resident Inspector Senior Health Physicist Geotechnical Engineer Senior IT Specialist (5)
Senior Resident Inspector (BWR/Tl)
Administrative Assistant Senior Project Manager (3)
Senior Reliability and Risk Analyst Office of Enforcement Director of Transition Region IV Senior Reliability and Risk Analyst Senior Health Physicist Safety Culture Specialist Branch Chief (2)
Senior Reactor Inspector Office of Nuclear Security and Incident Response Nuclear Engineer Office of the General Counsel IT Specialist Branch Chief (2)
Senior Reactor Engineer Safety and Plant Systems Engineer General Counsel Senior Reactor Analyst Nuclear Systems Engineer (2)
Senior Attorney Administrative Assistant Office of Investigations Attorney Operations Engineer (2)
Senior Criminal Investigator Senior Emergency Preparedness Inspector Director, Division of Rad Safety and Security Health Physicist (2)
Page 5 of 6 Attachment B - Offices and Positions of New Hires Office of Administration Office of Nuclear Security and Incident
Response
Region III Contract Specialist Special Security Officer (SSO)
Health Physicist (2)
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Security Specialist Physical Security Inspector Administrative Judge (2)
Administrative Assistant Office of Investigations Region IV Office of the Commission Emergency Preparedness Specialist Supervisory Management and Program Analyst Senior Health Physicist Legal Counsel Fitness-For-Duty Specialist Office of Nuclear Regulatory Research Senior Intelligence Specialist Chairman IT Specialist (Cyber)
Senior Reactor Systems Engineer (Fuel Analyst)
Operations Engineer Office of Nuclear Materials Safety and Security Administrative Assistant Office of the General Counsel Health Physicist (2)
Office of the Chief Financial Officer Materials Engineer Ethics Specialist Environmental Project Manager Budget Analyst Region I Attorney (3)
Transportation and Storage Safety Inspector Accountant (2)
Reactor Engineer (3)
Chief Counsel Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation Office of the Chief Human Capital Officer Health Physicist Administrative Assistant Senior Labor and Employee Relations Spec (2) Information Technology Specialist Project Manager Human Resources Specialist (2)
Region II Electronics Engineer Branch Chief Fuel Facilities Inspector Reactor Sys Engineer (QA Inspect)
Senior Organization Development Specialist Operations Engineer Mechanical Engineer Data Scientist IT Specialist Electrical Engineer Senior Human Resources Specialist (Team Leader)
Reactor Inspector Management and Program Analyst
Page 6 of 6 Attachment C - Position Details for Job Postings Announcement Position Title Org / Dept Series Grade Open Date Close Date ALL OFC-2025-0062 Project Engineer (RIDP) - Direct Hire Notice for Regions I, II, III & IV USNRC / ALL OFC 801 11, 12, 13 04/10/2025 10/09/2025 ALL OFC-2025-0063 SENIOR RESIDENT INSPECTOR USNRC / ALL OFC 840 14 04/25/2025 05/13/2025 NSIR/DPR-2025-0001 Nuclear Systems Engineer/Scientist (HOO/HERO)
USNRC / NSIR/DPR 0801, 1301 13, 14 04/28/2025 05/05/2025 R-III/DORS-2025-0006 Senior Reactor Inspector USNRC / R-III/DORS 801 14 05/27/2025 06/05/2025 R-III/DORS-2025-0005 Reactor Inspector - Direct Hire Notice USNRC / R-III/DORS 801 11, 12, 13 06/06/2025 06/17/2025 NRR/DANU-2025-0008 Senior Project Manager (Non-Power)
USNRC / NRR/DANU 0801, 1301 15 06/25/2025 07/11/2025 NRR-2025-0008 Project Manager (Non-Power) (Direct Hire Notice)
USNRC / NRR 0801, 1301 13 06/25/2025 07/09/2025 NRR/DANU-2025-0010 Project Manager USNRC / NRR/DANU 0801, 1301 14 06/26/2025 07/01/2025 R-IV/DORS-2025-0008 SENIOR RESIDENT INSPECTOR (BWR/TL)
USNRC / R-IV/DORS 840 14 07/02/2025 07/14/2025 NRR-2025-0009 Branch Chief USNRC / NRR 0801, 1301 15 07/07/2025 07/21/2025 NRR/DANU-2025-0011 Senior Reactor Operations Engineer USNRC / NRR/DANU 0801, 1301 15 07/07/2025 07/17/2025 ALL OFC-2025-0072 Senior Operations Engineer USNRC / ALL OFC 840 14 07/11/2025 07/22/2025 ALL OFC-2025-0073 Operations Engineer USNRC / ALL OFC 840 13 07/11/2025 07/28/2025 ALL OFC-2025-0076 SENIOR RESIDENT INSPECTOR (TL)
USNRC / ALL OFC 840 14 07/14/2025 07/24/2025 NSIR/DPR-2025-0002 Nuclear Systems Engineer/Scientist (HOO/HERO)
USNRC / NSIR/DPR 0801, 1301 13, 14 07/15/2025 07/29/2025 NRR/DRA-2025-0005 Sr. Reliability and Risk Analyst USNRC / NRR/DRA 0801, 1301 15 07/15/2025 07/21/2025 NRR/DANU-2025-0012 Reactor Systems Engineer USNRC / NRR/DANU 801 13 08/07/2025 08/20/2025 NSIR/DSO-2025-0001 Sr. Security Specialist (SSO)
USNRC / NSIR/DSO 80 14 08/08/2025 08/14/2025 OGC-2025-0007 Project Manager USNRC / OGC 301 14, 15 08/08/2025 08/14/2025 OCHCO/HROP-2025-0017 Senior Human Resources Specialist (Employee Benefits)
USNRC / OCHCO/HROP 201 14 08/11/2025 08/15/2025