A United States senator from New Mexico is calling on President-elect Donald Trump to keep current National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and Defense Department leadership in their positions until replacements are appointed.
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D) said Wednesday in a letter to Trump that he is concerned about NNSA continuity of operations, as Administrator Frank Klotz and Principal Deputy Administrator Madelyn Creedon “have not been requested” by Trump’s team to temporarily stay in their positions. Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, only six of 58 presidential appointees have been asked to remain through the transition process, Heinrich wrote. Without such a request, these officials will leave office on Friday, Inauguration Day.
Last week, the Trump transition team and the NNSA denied that Klotz and Creedon had specifically been asked to leave, saying instead there had been no discussions on extending their service past Friday.
“I urge you to immediately notify and request high-ranking officials who are currently serving their country to continue serving for a limited amount of time until you nominate their successors,” Heinrich said, warning that “our country will lack high-ranking officials in charge of critical responsibilities such as overseeing our nation’s nuclear stockpile and managing the strongest military in the world.”
Heinrich raised the question during a Senate confirmation hearing Thursday for former Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s nomination as the next secretary of energy. He asked Perry whether the question of interim leadership at NNSA had been resolved, to which Perry replied he has “sent the message that it would certainly be my desire to have that continuity. It is in the president-elect’s office now and hopefully we will see that type of continuity in those very important places.”
Klotz and Creedon on Wednesday hosted an all-hands meeting at NNSA headquarters, the agency said, where they highlighted NNSA accomplishments, honored the service of key staff, and were themselves recognized for their leadership.
Heinrich noted in his letter the NNSA’s $12.9 billion annual budget, its 25,000-employee workforce, and its responsibility for maintaining a safe, secure, and reliable U.S. nuclear arsenal. “This will be the first time in NNSA’s 16-year history, through four different administrations, in which there will not be any continuity in leadership during a presidential transition,” he said.
Heinrich also highlighted DoD’s $583 billion yearly budget and said he supports Trump’s choice of retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis as secretary of defense. However, “we simply cannot afford to allow national security positions to effectively run on ‘auto-pilot,’” the lawmaker wrote.
The Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday voted 26-1 in favor of Mattis’ nomination, sending it to the full Senate for an anticipated final approval as early as Friday following Trump’s inauguration. Heinrich was among those voting in favor.
Klotz and Creedon have served in their respective positions since 2014. Klotz is a retired Air Force lieutenant general who for three years led the service’s Global Strike Command. Creedon is a longtime DoE, DoD and congressional hand whose titles have included assistant secretary of defense for global strategic affairs and counsel for Democratic staff on the Senate Committee on Armed Services.