The Department of Energy plans to lay off most or all probationary employees Thursday, two DOE staffers who were granted anonymity to speak freely told POLITICO’s E&E News.
One person said the layoffs of probationary employees are planned for the full federal government. Federal jobs often come with probationary periods, during which employees can more easily be terminated.
The cuts would be part of a Trump administration campaign to slash federal staffing and spending. That effort is led in part by the Elon Musk-helmed Department of Government Efficiency, which this week dispatched staffers to DOE.
A department spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After the inauguration of President Donald Trump last month, DOE put a number of diversity, equity and inclusion staff on leave.
DOE has also indicated it intends to crack down on spending. An internal memo last week said clean energy spending must be approved by a political appointee. DOE received roughly $100 billion for grants and loans in the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act and bipartisan infrastructure law the year before.
