Those working on radiation and nuclear projects as part of national security missions at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory are now being asked to volunteer to be laid off as the Richland lab continues to look for ways to cut costs. 

Staff within PNNL’s National Security Directorate recently received an email from the directorate’s leadership indicating that there remain “notable challenges” regarding its budget outlook, according to a memo provided to the Tri-Cities Area Journal of Business. 

“Although (fiscal year 2026) appropriations are not yet finalized, sponsor guidance indicates that certain areas of scope will not continue in the new fiscal year,” the memo read. “Some changes will impact staffing levels beginning October 1, 2025, while others will occur during the first quarter of FY26.” 

The programs being targeted for voluntary layoffs include the Global Material Security and U.S. High Performance Research Reactor programs under the National Nuclear Security Administration. The Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction program under the Department of Homeland Security. 

All told, lab leaders are seeking 20 of the 230 staff in those programs to participate in the Self-Select Voluntary Separation program. 

PNNL began bracing for reductions in early June after the White House released its proposed federal budget which included billions of dollars in cuts to three DOE programs with a large presence at the lab. 

The lab began asking in mid-August for up to 90 staff to participate in voluntary layoffs as the Tri-Cities’ largest employer sought to make cuts in response to anticipated federal spending reductions. That didn’t include previously furloughed staff who were laid off. 

A late August staff memo from outgoing lab Director Steven Ashby obtained by the Journal indicated that not enough workers volunteered for the layoffs, meaning more involuntary layoffs would be necessary, even though the lab was on track to meet its revised financial targets for the 2025 fiscal year.