Trump administration lays off as many as 2,000 Energy Department employees

• The Trump administration reportedly laid off up to 2,000 Department of Energy employees. The layoffs impacted multiple offices, including the National Nuclear Security Administration, the Loan Programs Office, and the Grid Deployment Office. The layoffs followed a visit from DOGE representatives.
• Additional layoffs included at least 45 employees from the Loan Programs Office, 18 from the Grid Deployment Office, and over 600 from the Bonneville Power Administration.
• Some employees discovered their termination when they lost access to government-issued devices. They received a letter that cited their continued employment as “not in the public interest.”

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The Trump administration has reportedly laid off as many as 2,000 employees from the Department of Energy (DOE). This will impact multiple offices within the federal agency, including the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), the Loan Programs Office and the Grid Deployment Office, among others.

How will this affect the DOE?

The DOE employs approximately 14,000 federal workers and 95,000 contractors. According to reports, around 325 employees from the NNSA were let go. However, some layoffs were later rescinded to retain essential nuclear security personnel. The exact number of reinstated positions remains unclear.

The Loan Programs Office, which provides financial support for clean energy, nuclear, and clean vehicle projects, saw at least 45 layoffs. Additionally, 18 employees were dismissed from the Grid Deployment Office, which focuses on modernizing the nation’s power grid.

Are there any concerns about these layoffs?

Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern that some of the layoffs affected workers at national laboratories, hydroelectric plants and sites managing Cold War-era nuclear contamination. Sen. Patty Murray of Washington stated that at least a dozen workers at the Hanford Site — a decommissioned but still contaminated nuclear production complex — were among those dismissed.

The Bonneville Power Administration, which supplies carbon-free hydropower to residents in the Columbia River Basin, also experienced layoffs. More than 600 electricians, scientists and cybersecurity experts reportedly lost their jobs.

What happens next?

Some employees only learned of their termination when they lost access to government-issued laptops and phones.

A letter obtained by Reuters and sent to affected employees stated that their continued employment was deemed “not in the public interest.” The layoffs come after three individuals representing the Department of Government Efficiency visited the DOE last week.