The Department of Energy is pushing federal workers to voluntarily resign before it submits its “significant” reorganization plans to the White House next week.
Lou Hrkman, the Trump administration’s political appointee in charge of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, urged staff in an all-hands meeting Tuesday morning to consider taking the resignation opportunity before it expires Tuesday night, according to audio of the meeting obtained by NOTUS.
The effort is yet another sign that the Trump administration is prioritizing slashing staff over building teams around its stated policy goals. Trump has pledged an “all of the above” energy agenda, but sharp cuts to EERE could curb work commercializing and supporting many types of energy technologies, from renewables like wind and solar to biofuels and geothermal — a technology especially popular with DOE Secretary Chris Wright.