(The Hill) – The Energy Department considers more than 40 percent of its staffers to be nonessential — meaning these people could be on the chopping block — as mass layoffs loom at the agency and across the federal government.
A document viewed by The Hill on Friday states that out of the agency’s current headcount of 15,994 positions — 9,004 are essential, meaning some 7,000 other positions are not.
The approximately 16,000 total positions listed by the agency does include nearly 1,300 people who are currently on leave because they accepted the “Fork in the Road” buyout or for their roles related to diversity, equity and inclusion, which the administration sought to eliminate from the government.
It’s not immediately clear whether everyone deemed non-essential will be laid off. A spokesperson for the Energy Department said that no final decisions have been made as of Friday evening.
The spokesperson said that the department is conducting a “review of its organizational structures to ensure operations are best positioned to accomplish the DOE mission and align with the Trump administration’s priorities.”
“No final decisions have been made and multiple plans are still being considered,” the spokesperson added.
The document was first reported on by The Associated Press.
The Energy Department’s portfolio includes both energy technology and innovation as well as nuclear weapons.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration seeks to cut workers more broadly, with as many as tens of thousands of staffers being ousted from the Health and Human Services and Veterans’ Affairs departments.
However, these ousters — including previous attempts at the Energy Department to fire recent hires — resulted in some staff being let go and later recalled. At Energy, this included staff who worked in nuclear security and electric power agencies.
The document viewed by The Hill lists agencies and offices that the Energy Department considers to be essential. This includes the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, the Office of Environmental Health, Safety and Security, the Office of Environmental Management, the Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence, the National Nuclear Security Administration, and the Bonneville, Southeastern, Southwestern and Western Area Power Administrations.
The portion of the document viewed by The Hill does not list agencies that are considered nonessential.
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