An official who served in President Donald Trump’s first administration is returning to the Department of Energy in a senior advisory role, according to a federal database and three people familiar with DOE’s staffing.
Shawn Affolter, who was DOE’s deputy assistant secretary for U.S. Senate affairs for three years in Trump’s first term, is listed in the department registry as a principal deputy assistant secretary. It is unclear whether the title could change, but two people familiar with DOE’s thinking said they expected Affolter to be a liaison with Congress considering his past experience.
Principal assistant secretaries typically help lead DOE branches such as the renewable and electricity offices. The department did not comment on Affolter’s position.
Affolter comes to DOE from the Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions, a conservative energy group that he joined in 2021. He was vice president of government relations at the organization and advocated for issues such as increased nuclear power.
