Workers at Richland national lab laid off this week due to federal budget cuts

Workers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory were seen being escorted off the lab’s Richland campus with their belongings on Thursday.

Battelle, which holds a Department of Energy contract to operate the national lab, confirmed that it had involuntary layoffs this week.

It called the number of layoffs “limited,” but declined to give a specific number.

Battelle said in a statement Wednesday that it recently eliminated some vacant positions and offered a voluntary separation option to some staff.

“Unfortunately, the necessary number of volunteers was not achieved, so Battelle has made the difficult decision to move forward with a limited number of involuntary separations,” Battelle said.

Furloughs also have been reported at the national lab.

In August, workers were told that Battel