Saving the DOE Workforce Act

Summary#

This bill, called the Saving the Department of Energy's Workforce Act, stops the Secretary of Energy from starting or carrying out any reduction in force at the Department of Energy until on or after the date that full-year appropriations for the Department of Energy for fiscal year 2026 have been enacted into law. It also prevents involuntary separations of employees in the competitive service, career employees in the excepted service, and career appointees in the Senior Executive Service, except when the separation is for cause on charges of misconduct, delinquency, or performance. The bill refers to title 5 of the U.S. Code for the meanings of those personnel terms and says the moratorium is in addition to other adverse personnel authorities, including chapter 75 of title 5.

What it means for you#

• If you are a Department of Energy employee in the competitive service, an excepted service career employee, or a career Senior Executive Service appointee, this bill would block involuntary layoffs or separations until full-year FY2026 DOE appropriations are enacted, except for separations for cause (misconduct, delinquency, or performance).
• If you are a DOE manager, you could not initiate or implement reductions in force or involuntary separations in those covered groups during the moratorium, except for cause.
• For contractors, other agencies, or members of the public, the bill text does not provide information about effects.

Expenses#

No publicly available information on estimated costs, savings, or budgetary effects is included in the bill text or metadata.

Proponents' View#

No publicly available information.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.